


The Atlantis Expedition

by Eternally_Exhausted



Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Multi, Slow Build, coppernauts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-02-26 15:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 60,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13238466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternally_Exhausted/pseuds/Eternally_Exhausted
Summary: After the events of Takos Tuesday, it quickly becomes apparent that Bad Cop is not coping well. His new friends try to help him, but- well, he certainly wasn't expecting puzzles, high seas adventure, and relentless sky pirates to be part of the bargain.





	1. In Which New Babysitters Are Found

**Author's Note:**

> This was my 2017 Nanowrimo project, so... technically it's finished? But only the rough draft so it's still undergoing a major overhaul, updates will be sporadic.

Finn sat slumped on the sofa watching cartoons, half listening to his Mom and Dad discussing the latest in a long string of babysitters. It had been roughly two years since his longest running babysitter, Mrs. Morgan, had passed away. She reminded him a lot of his Grandma, a sweet, kindly old lady who always had fresh, warm cookies for him when she looked after him. She’d lived right next door, which was super convenient. After she died, though, there just didn’t seem to be anyone else to look after him in a satisfactory manner when both of his parents were working late, or just wanted a night to themselves. There had been a long string of teenage girls who never watched him and Bianca more than twice, more interested in whatever was on their phones than looking after a pair of young children- though Finn would argue he was capable enough of looking after himself.

This newest sitter sounded like she worked with his Dad though, so she wasn’t going to be some disinterested teen. Finn was somewhat curious; his Dad certainly seemed convinced they might get along. He certainly hoped so, he didn’t want to deal with one more person who would ignore him in favor of their social life for a week straight while his Dad was away on business (and he nearly laughed out loud at his own joke, catching himself just in time) and his Mom had to work nights. Both his parents were annoyed at this arrangement, but there wasn’t much they could do.

He slumped down further into the cushions when his Dad stepped back into the living room and sat down next to him, trying not to look like he was pouting. It wasn’t the first time his dad had gone away on business, but now his dad was actually interested in playing with him. They’d been having so much fun, and now he would be gone for a whole week. “Excited to meet your new sitter?” his Dad asked, and Finn shrugged.

“I guess so.”

“That doesn’t sound very confident.”

“I didn’t like any of the others.”

His Dad sighed. “I know Finn, I didn’t really either. But I really think you’ll like Amy. She has a book published, you know.”

That piqued the boy’s curiosity. “Then how come she’s working in your office?”

“I think she just writes as a hobby, rather than to try to make a living. She says it’s a very difficult market to get into.” Finn looked considerate of that. “She’ll be coming around six every night, just before your mom has to leave for work.”

“Okay.” Finn climbed into his father’s lap, snuggling close. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too buddy, I always do.” Finn smiled when he felt a kiss pressed to his head. “You help Miss Amy look after Bianca, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And don’t give her any grief about your homework.”

“Okay…”

“Off to bed with you, Mom will come tuck you in when she’s got Bianca down.” Finn scooted onto the floor and made his way up to his room, mind starting to buzz with ideas of what his new babysitter would be like.

When Miss Amy came at five forty-five the next day, Finn had hyped himself up so much that she honestly fell a little short of his expectations. She seemed so… normal. Plain, even. The only really notable thing about her was that she carried a beat up old canvas messenger bag, rather than a nice purse. That intrigued him a little. She smiled warmly at him. “You must be Finn,” she said, and held a hand out to him. “Your dad’s told me a bit about you. I’m Amy.”

Finn took her hand, giving it an uncertain shake. “Hi Amy,” he greeted.

“Alright sweetie, I’m off to work,” his Mom said, giving him a goodbye hug. “Bianca's watching tv and coloring in the living room, that usually keeps her pretty well occupied. She shouldn’t be too much trouble tonight.”

“She won’t be a problem,” Amy promised, and waved as his Mom left. Finn turned his attention back to Amy. “So I hear you like Legos?” she asked, and he nodded. “Your dad says you make up some pretty good stories to play out.”

“He did?”

Amy nodded. “He didn’t really go into detail about it though. Can you tell me the story?” Finn shuffled a bit, embarrassed, but related to her the tale of Lord Business and the Master Builders. He was pleased to note how much she was actually paying attention, rather than dismissing it as childish nonsense the way his Dad first had. She really seemed interested. “That was a very good story, Finn,” she complimented when he ended it, “and you told it very well.” He blushed, looking down at his sneakers. “So what’s going to happen next?”

“Well, Batman has to go back to Gotham cause Joker’s up to no good again, but everyone else is still cleaning up Bricksburg…”


	2. Some Nights

They had hardly been celebrating for ten minutes when Batman’s phone went off. He answered it with a cursory “Batman,” listened for a moment, then hung up with an “on it.” He turned to his now ex-girlfriend and new friends. “So I can’t say I’m surprised about it, but now that Lord Business has been stopped, the Joker’s started right up on his antics again. I gotta go take care of it.”

“So you’re bailing on us,” Lucy said sharply.

“A superhero’s duty never ends.” And just like that he was gone.

Lucy sighed, shaking her head. “Don’t know why I expected any different,” she muttered. Emmet stepped closer, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“It’s no big loss,” he assured her.

“Aye lass, I be sure he would have found some other excuse to wriggle out of clean-up,” Metalbeard grumbled his agreement. Benny was too distracted by the pair of figures approaching them to voice his own opinion on the matter. They were an elderly couple in matching police uniforms, both with the name “Callaghan” embroidered on their shirts.

“We were hoping to be able to talk to The Special,” the woman spoke, kindly voice holding a nervous tone. Emmet immediately turned to give them his attention.

“What can I help you with?”

“It’s our son,” Mr. Callaghan started. “We’re… we’re worried about them.”

“ _Them?_ ”

“Wait,” Emmet said, seeming to put two and two together. “Your accents, and… He kept calling himself ‘we’… You’re Bad Cop’s parents?”

“Bad Cop has _parents??_ ” they could hear Unikitty not quite whispering to Metalbeard in the background.

“Yes,” Mrs. Callaghan replied. “They’re hiding something from us, and no matter how much we try to get an answer from them, they won’t tell us. Please… We can see they’re hurting, and it’s something they can’t talk about to their own mum and dad. Please look after them for us, be a friend to them? We can only guess it’s something to do with the work President Business had them do.”

“Well sure,” Benny agreed easily, though his mind was reeling that someone like _Bad Cop_ was raised by two such sweet people. He had a feeling he wasn’t seeing the whole picture on this one, though- after all, it wasn’t like any of them knew Bad Cop _well_. Emmet was the only one who ever had any sort of interaction with them outside of combat. “It won’t be a problem,” he assured them, and Emmet nodded in determined agreement. Bless his heart for always seeing the good in people.

“They’ve probably already left to start directing cleanup efforts,” Mr. Callaghan suggested. “They always liked to bury themselves in work when they were upset about something.”

“Well let’s be off then,” Metalbeard said. “There is a lot of cleaning up to do.” They split up, Emmet setting off to find his construction crew, and Lucy tagging along with him. Metalbeard and Unikitty led the efforts to build shelters for those whose homes had been wrecked in the fighting, Business directed the collection of his destroyed robots and micromanagers, and Benny floated away to see if he could spot Bad Cop in the flurry of activity. It actually didn’t take long before he heard a familiar deep, growly voice barking out orders, and he touched down just a few feet away. Benny supposed it was a good thing that Bad Cop was the chief of the _Super Secret_ police, because none of the normal people of Bricksburg seemed to recognize or be afraid of him, following direction without hesitation.

“Hey,” Benny greeted with a wave.

“Spaceman,” Bad Cop acknowledged, giving him a curt nod in return. The astronaut grinned in response.

“The name’s Benny,” he introduced himself, fighting back a snicker when one dark brow arched above the reflective aviators.

“I don’t need to know your name so long as you can follow orders well,” Bad Cop grumped in response. “Now stop chatting at me and get to work.”

“Geez, what a grouch,” Benny pouted. “What happened to the cool guy I met just like, two hours ago? He let me build a spaceship!”

“ _Benjamin._ ”

“Benny,” the astronaut corrected patiently.

“ _Ben,_ ” the cop snapped back. “ _Get to work._ ”

“Well since you asked so nicely,” Benny teased, drifting over to begin picking up chunks of concrete and asphalt.

Night fell only an hour later, and everyone shuffled off to their homes, or to the shelters that had been so swiftly set up. Emmet was a little disappointed that so little progress had been made, but it was already evening by the time they had won. He looked around at his new friends as they somehow managed to find each other again. “Do you guys have somewhere to stay?”

“I think we were just going to stay in one of the shelters,” Lucy said. “Why?”

“Cause, uh… I have room, if you wanted to stay somewhere a little less crowded…”

“Sounds good to me,” Metalbeard agreed, and Unikitty nodded, smiling. Benny had draped himself across one of Metalbeard’s broad shoulders, already nearly asleep. “Lead the way, lad.” Lucy took Emmet’s hand as they walked, smiling back at him when he grinned brightly at her.

~* *~

Emmet hummed happily to himself as he went through his morning routine- without his instructions! He felt so proud. Though he omitted going out onto his balcony to shout “good morning, city!”, not wanting to wake his guests. He was somewhat surprised to find he was the first one awake; the fight must have really worn everyone out yesterday. He brightened considerably as a thought occurred to him- he had company! Important people in his life! He really ought to be a good host and provide them with breakfast.

The Master Builders were roused by the smells and sounds of bacon sizzling and eggs frying, Emmet’s kitchen radio turned on but low, their host in question humming along quietly with the music. The clinking of dinnerware being set on the dining table alerted them to the nearness of breakfast being ready, and with a wide yawn, Metalbeard pushed himself to his feet, ducking to avoid scraping the ceiling with his hulking frame. Unikitty was the next to rise to consciousness, not quite her usual perky self yet but clearly trying to be. They moved into the dining room, both surprised and somehow not to see six chairs seated at a surprisingly large table. Emmet certainly had high hopes, it seemed, but now it was finally being put to proper use.

“Good morning!” Emmet chirped as he placed a tray of bacon and eggs on the table. There was already a plate of croissants, a bowl of fresh fruit, and a jug of orange juice sitting on it.

“Mornin’, lad,” Metalbeard greeted in kind. “Tis a fine feast ye’ve set out for us.”

“Please tell me you have coffee,” Unikitty muttered.

“I, uh…” Emmet cleared his throat. “I tried making some? It’s my first time though so I can’t promise it’s any good.”

“Emmet?” All three looked over to see a sleepy Lucy standing at the end of the table, rubbing sleep crust from one eye still. “Did you make all of this?”

“I did!”

“Wow, it looks… _really_ good…” She stared down at the veritable breakfast buffet, surprised.

“Sit down!” he urged, rushing over to pull a chair out for her. She smiled at him and sat down, letting him push her in. “Do you want orange juice, coffee? I think I have some tea if you’d prefer that, too, or milk, or water.”

“Orange juice is fine, babe.”

“Coming right up!” He scooted off to grab the jug and pour her a glass.

Benny was the last to make an appearance, clearly not entirely awake as he drifted aimlessly into the room. Metalbeard chuckled, nudging him in the direction of a chair. “This way, lad.”

“Where are we…?”

“Emmet’s apartment.”

“Oh, that’s nice…”

“Is he okay?” Emmet asked, concerned.

“Aye, he be fine, just takes a while to fully wake up most mornings. Don’t think he paid much attention to where we crashed for the night, tis why he’s disoriented.”

“I see…” Emmet mused. “Would coffee help?”

“Oh good lord _no_ don’t give him coffee,” Unikitty grumbled. “He’s _terrible_ when he has coffee.”

“Wow, somebody’s cranky in the morning,” Lucy remarked.

“Silence, mortal.”

Benny giggled, then fell silent and stared uncomprehendingly at the glass of orange juice set before him.

“So I didn’t know you could cook, babe,” Lucy commented, deciding to ignore Unikitty until she was feeling more pleasant.

Emmet blushed, feeling quite pleased with himself. “Well, yeah… It’s a lot cheaper than going out to eat all the time.” He smiled sheepishly. “The instructions said to buy expensive coffee. Thirty-seven dollars for a small cup with sugar and cream… I had to find ways to cut back elsewhere. And I, uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I always hoped to be able to impress a girl, someday.”

Lucy smiled sweetly at him, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Well color me impressed.” He grinned brightly at her. Unikitty shuffled into the kitchen to help herself when the coffee maker beeped that it was finished brewing.

“Not bad for your first pot,” she complimented upon returning to her seat, steaming mug floating beside her. “I’ll show you some tricks later.” She climbed back up into her chair and grabbed the mug with her paws, sipping contently at it.

“Well, dig in, everyone!” They moved almost as one, reaching for the bacon, and Emmet snickered, letting Lucy be the first to help herself. Plates and trays were passed around for a minute as everyone got what they wanted, and then they tucked in.

Lucy’s eyes went wide at her first bite of bacon. “ _Oh my gosh. EMMET._ ”

He grinned at her. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he teased. She shoved him playfully in response, shoving the rest of the strip into her mouth, and Benny cackled.

~* *~

The team met Business and Bad Cop at Larry’s coffee shop, one of the few places in the city that was still intact. The surly barista was handing out free coffee and breakfast sandwiches to anyone aiding in the cleanup efforts, and gave Business a defiant glare when the President made an appearance. Business wisely chose not to comment, simply turning his attention to the Master Builders and giving them a rundown of his plans for his broken machinery. Emmet assured him he would pass the message along, and they split up once more.

“You again,” was Bad Cop’s greeting when Benny touched down just a few feet in front of him, smiling widely.

“Good morning to you too!” he chirped. “So I never did catch your name yesterday.”

“It’s Bad Cop,” the officer replied flatly.

“I know your last name’s Callaghan.” Benny bounced alongside Bad Cop as he attempted to make an escape. “Is your first name something traditionally Irish too? Is it Liam?”

“No.”

“Seamus?”

“ _No._ ”

“Come on man, give me _something_ to work with here,” Benny whined.

“ _Cary,_ ” Bad Cop finally snapped, then startled when he realized he’d basically just given this complete stranger, a man who only a day before was considered a mortal enemy, permission to use his given name. Benny blinked at him in surprise, then grinned widely.

“Cary. I like it, it suits you. Cary Callaghan…”

“Shut up, Ben.”

“So since you told me your name, does that mean we’re friends now?”

“No.”

“Aww, but I told you my name too!”

“You only told me your given name.”

“Oh. It’s Blue! I’m Benny Blue! Now are we friends?”

“If I say yes, will you _shut up?_ ”

Brown eyes sparkled merrily at him. “Not a chance.”

“You’re a menace.”

The astronaut snickered. “Oh I know, the worst kind too!” Bad Cop finally cracked a smile, and even though it was barely there, Benny counted it as a win. “You know, you look really nice when you smile.” Said smile immediately vanished, Bad Cop’s cheeks tinting red at the compliment as he looked away. The reaction tugged painfully at Benny’s heartstrings, and he guessed the poor guy didn’t get compliments very often. “Well. I count you as _my_ friend now, if it makes any difference. You’ll have to put up with me being the worst kind of pain in the butt twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week!”

Bad Cop turned back to him, giving him a long, studious look. “I suppose there are worse people to be friends with,” he finally allowed, and Benny whooped in victory. “Now can we _please_ get to work? There’s still a lot to be done.” The astronaut merely grinned, and began using his anti-gravity abilities to lift larger pieces of rubble out of the street.

It was somewhat after noon when Bad Cop called for a break, the sun burning hot over the city. “Everyone go get some water,” he advised. He’d long since divested himself of his helmet and hot leather jacket in an effort to beat the heat, but even he was starting to succumb. It was time to find some shade. He paused when Benny popped his own helmet off, and stared when the astronaut revealed the most _impossibly fluffy_ copper blond hair Bad Cop had ever seen. It seemed to ignore the rules of gravity as much as its owner. He let out a chortle at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” Benny was glancing at him in confusion.

“You must have some serious static problems with that helmet.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s…” He wasn’t quite sure how to describe it, so he simply gestured, waving his hand to indicate the way it was sticking up. “It’s just as ridiculous as you.”

“Oh, it’s not static! You _have_ noticed the rest of me floats too, right?” Benny shot back, but he was grinning. Bad Cop wondered if anything ever truly got the astronaut down, he always seemed to be smiling.

“Aren’t you hot, wearing that suit all the time?”

“Don’t you get hot wearing all that black leather all the time?”

“You _do_ see I’m not wearing my jacket, don’t you?” He rolled his eyes at Benny’s snickering, the action going unseen behind his mirrored shades. “Are you always this sassy?”

“Only when I’m in a good mood!”

“Which I’m guessing is all the time, then.”

“You’re well on your way to becoming a sassmaster yourself, grasshopper.”

Bad Cop sighed. “Come on, you lunatic. Seeing you bundled up like that is enough to give _me_ heat stroke.” Benny floated along behind him, and he considered all their interactions thus far. Despite their back and forth snark, or maybe even because of it, he thought Benny might actually be a good friend. The astronaut certainly seemed willing enough to put all their less pleasant previous encounters behind him, and wasn’t treating him at all different from anyone else. Benny was quite likely the first person he’d ever encountered in his entire life, aside from his parents, to simply accept him for who he was without some ulterior motive.

There was an odd, muffled chirping filling the air, and Benny let out a sound of surprise before stripping his gloves off and fishing inside a sleeve to pull out what looked like a _really_ old flip phone. “Hello?” he answered, and paused to listen. “That sounds great, actually! Mind if I bring Bad Cop along?”

“What? Ben, no-”

“Awesome, we’ll be right there!” He snapped the old cell phone shut, beaming at the cop. “Emmet says the absolute _best_ pizza place in town is still running, so we’re gonna do lunch! Come on!”

“I seriously question Emmet’s opinion on this matter,” Bad Cop grumbled as Benny dragged him along. “I doubt he’s ever been any place that’s _not_ a chain restaurant.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s gonna be _terrible_ , come on!”

“Forgive me for not quite having your sense of adventure.” But he didn’t protest any further- at least, not until they actually got to the little hole in the wall pizzeria (and boy was Bad Cop surprised it _wasn’t_ a chain restaurant) and he saw President Business through the glass windows. He slammed on the brakes, and Benny yelped as he was jerked back at the sudden stop.

“Dude, what- Oh.” There was a vice like grip on the astronaut’s wrist, prying his hand away from Bad Cop’s arm. Benny frowned, rubbing at the sore skin.

“I’m not going in there, not with _him_ around,” Bad Cop snarled, turning on his heel and stalking away. Benny fretted for a moment, glancing back and forth between his friends and the cop as he tried to come to a decision. Emmet caught his gaze through the glass and gave him a questioning look. He held up a finger in a classic ‘wait a minute’ gesture, and went after the cop.

“Come on, man, he tried to kill us too,” Benny argued, “but we’re trying to move past that.”

“It’s not just that he left me for dead,” Bad Cop growled, not slowing down in the slightest. “It’s what he did to Good Cop, it’s what he made me do to _my own parents._ ”

_I hope there’s still a Good Cop in me somewhere…_

Benny felt his stomach churn at the memory. The elation of _finally_ being allowed to build a spaceship had overshadowed it then, but looking back on it now, he could only feel sick as he realized just what Bad Cop had meant. “B,” he said softly, “how _is_ Good Cop? I feel like such an idiot for only thinking about it now, but… he hasn’t been out since we beat President Business yesterday, is that even normal?”

Bad Cop paused at the nickname, and the genuine concern in the spaceman’s voice. “He’s weak,” he answered gruffly. “And a lot more cautious who he lets his guard down around, now.”

“Can’t say I blame him,” Benny mumbled. “Could I talk to him?”

“…Maybe another time, he’s not feeling up to it right now. Ben, go have lunch with your friends. Don’t worry about me, I can look after myself.”

Benny stuck his bottom lip out at the cop. “I’m gonna worry about you anyway, but fine. Guess you’ll just have to miss out on the best pizza in Bricksburg.”

“It’ll still be there tomorrow, I’m sure.” Bad Cop shooed him away with a smirk. “Just don’t forget to actually come _back_ when you’re done.”

“Aww, I knew you’d miss me!”

“Shut up, Ben.”


	3. Come Talk To Me

It had been a crazy week, bringing so much change with it that it honestly made his head spin a little. Benny had gotten his first retirement check from the Space Corps, driving home the fact he would never fly another mission into space again. It hurt, but he’d had enough time to come to terms with it, and the check was big enough to get himself an apartment. That Bad Cop lived there too was only a minor reason for his choice; it was affordable, it had a manageable size, and it was within walking distance of nearly everything he needed.

Moving in was an adventure in itself. Every few minutes he got stopped by another tenant asking him if he was really sure he wanted to live on the top floor with the scary police officer that argued with himself (rather loudly at times too, apparently, at which Benny couldn’t help but snicker at the thought). Even the landlady asked him if he was absolutely certain he wanted to share living space with Bad Cop. _Twice_.

Oddly enough, President Business had let him have at the Micromanager scraps, and he’d been able to build himself another spaceship- this one quite a bit smaller than the battleship he’d built out of the studio. Almost the size of a fighter jet, really, but more space-worthy, and with room enough for a passenger (it had occurred to him to include it after Emmet pouted about missing out on riding the Kragleizer, so he’d promised his new friend a ride once everything calmed down).

It took four days to get the city cleaned up, and another three for the multitude of Master Builders to repair the buildings that still stood, and replace the ones that didn’t. It probably would have taken even less time if they hadn’t kept trying to ignore the instructions and do their own thing, but Emmet did just as good a job of keeping them in line as he had his small band of saboteurs. President Business and Bad Cop were still trying to wrap their heads around the idea that this simple construction worker could be such a force of nature- and Business had even been on the receiving end of it. It was little wonder that Emmet had won the revolution.

Benny stayed in touch with Bad Cop’s parents right up until they left when reconstruction started, on account of “we would just be in the way, rather than a help, now”. Trying to be the Cops’ friend was a lot tougher than the astronaut had been expecting. He thought he’d made some headway on Wednesday, only for Bad Cop to be just as abrasive and snarly as he had been Tuesday night the very next day. On the rare occasion Good Cop was out, even he kept everyone at arm’s length. So he did the only thing he could think to do, and turned to their parents for some insight.

“For all that Alastar is the more sociable one, neither one of them were ever great at making friends,” Mrs. Callaghan (or as she insisted Benny call her, Ma) sighed. “Their condition isn’t exactly rare or unknown, but it’s uncommon enough that most still find it _weird_ , and, well, Cary’s grumpiness is enough of a deterrent on its own. Trust has never come easily for either of them.”

“And I’m sure what President Business did to them didn’t make things any easier,” Benny huffed.

“Yes,” Ma agreed, her voice quiet. “They still haven’t really opened up to us about they did for him, but we’re slowly putting together bits and pieces based on what they _don’t_ say.” She was silent for a moment. “You just keep being you, Benny. Show them you’re someone who is _honest_ and can be trusted, and they’ll come around.” She offered him an encouraging smile, and he smiled back.

“Hey, I’ll get them talking to you soon enough, just you watch.” Benny grinned. “I can be pretty convincing.”

“Here.” Ma slipped a piece of paper into his hand. “If you have any more questions, that’s our home phone number. Please don’t hesitate to call us.”

“Of course, thank you.”

Benny had figured maybe they were just being shy or something, but as three more days passed with their interactions becoming increasingly rare, Benny grew more concerned. It felt like they all were being actively avoided- even Emmet’s attempts to get to know them better were constantly shot down, and Benny didn’t know how _anyone_ could say no to those puppy eyes.

So on the final night of reconstruction Benny decided to stage an intervention all by his lonesome, a large pepperoni pie from the “best little pizza place in Bricksburg” tucked away in an insulated sleeve to keep it warm while he kept his eyes open for a familiar motorcycle to make its way toward the parking lot. It was getting to be ridiculously late, and proving most difficult to keep his eyes on the pavement rather than the skies, but eventually the rumble of the bike reached his ears and he glanced downward to see it pulling into Bad Cop’s usual spot. He pushed himself back to his feet and picked his way through the unkempt rooftop garden back to the stairwell.

~* *~

Bad Cop released a long sigh as he closed his door behind him, leaning against it. He was working himself ragged, he knew, but it kept his mind off _things_ , and if he was so exhausted when he finally got home that he passed out as soon as he laid down, well, that was all the better. He dragged himself to the bathroom, pulling off his aviators to rub at his tired eyes. Good Cop’s spectacles rested on the edge of the sink, and he stared down at them for longer than he cared to admit. So far he’d done a good job of keeping everyone in the dark, but that was mostly accomplished through avoiding those that knew him best, a feat he couldn’t keep up forever. Those Master Builders were remarkably persistent.

He grabbed the glasses and leaned back against the wall, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor as he rubbed a thumb over a cracked lens. Good Cop was _gone_. It had been more than a week, without even the faintest sense of his twin in the back of his mind, and it was time he accepted that Alastar was never coming back.

His vision blurred and he closed his eyes, ignoring the wet warmth tracing trails down his cheeks. Bricksburg was safe once more, cleaned up and rebuilt and the Master Builders and normal citizens seemed to be getting along fine. He wasn’t needed anymore, maybe he could just… be gone, too. Just quietly withdraw from the world, let it forget him. It would get on just fine without him. God, he was so tired…

A knock on his front door pulled him from his contemplations, and he scowled in its direction, really not in the mood for visitors. With an annoyed huff he pushed himself back to his feet and wiped his face before going to answer the door. Persistent Master Builders, indeed. A certain short ginger astronaut stood on the other side, with a pizza box and a hopeful smile. “Mind if I come in? I brought pepperoni.” He raised the box in his hands.

“Sure, why not,” Bad Cop grumbled, stepping away from the door to let Benny in. The pizza did smell good though, and his stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten anything since the spaceman had shoved a bagel and a coffee into his hands that morning. He missed the concerned look that Benny sent his way.

Bad Cop looked even more worn down, Benny noted, now that he didn’t have to put on a face for the public. As Bad Cop slipped off his leather jacket, Benny noticed he was frighteningly thin as well. No wonder he seemed so worn out. He set the box on the table and slid out a chair for himself, only faintly surprised that there was even more than one there, and plopped himself down in it as Bad Cop eased down into the chair across from him. “Come on man, talk to me,” Benny implored, giving the tall cop his best ‘worried friend’ look. “What’s going on with you? I’m not dumb; you act like everything’s okay, but I know you haven’t been ‘fine’ for a while.”

Bad Cop sent him a baleful glower that, had he not been a man on a mission, would have sent Benny running for the hills. As it was, the astronaut steeled himself for what was likely to be a very difficult conversation. “I’m doing as well as can be expected, considering I’m _missing half of myself_.” He looked like he was only just barely managing to restrain himself from snapping, and Benny felt certain that, had he been anyone else, he’d be feeling the full brunt of that fury. He tried not to quail under it, just barely getting his shakes under control before they became visible.

His mind turned back to Takos Tuesday as it sank in just what Bad Cop had said. “But… The scribble face…?”

Bad Cop looked as though his strings had just been cut, the way he slumped in his chair. “Still me,” he admitted, the very image of despair. “I thought that… If I pretended, if I just kept pretending, he’d come back…” It was like a dam had burst, and he leaned forward to bury his face in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Benny was at his side in an instant, wrapping his arms around him and murmuring comforting nonsense even as he listened to the string of incoherent words that poured from Bad Cop’s mouth. He had brothers, of course, and they were close, but even that wasn’t nearly on the same level of Bad Cop’s experience. They’d shared everything, even their deepest secrets- occupying the same mindspace tended not to leave anyone with any privacy, but it had worked for the two brothers. They depended on each other in ways Benny would never understand. The best he could liken it to, was that despite being two separate people, they were still two halves of one whole.

Bad Cop slumped against him after a while, apparently having cried himself out, and Benny chewed on his lip. He hoped the taller man wasn’t about to fall asleep on him- he could use his anti-gravity powers to lift him easily, so weight wasn’t an issue, but his ridiculous six-foot-four frame _was_. “Come on dude, don’t fall asleep on me, I can’t wrangle you into bed…”

“ _Can’t_ sleep,” Bad Cop muttered. “Can’t keep fronting like this, but can’t switch out either… Alastar always talked a lot, lulled me to sleep…”

Benny quirked an eyebrow. “Well, I supposed I could do that much for you, if it’ll help, just don’t ask me to sing you a lullaby. You won’t like it.” Bad Cop snorted. The astronaut chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment. “Actually I have an idea. Something Mom used to make for me when I was a kid, on nights I couldn’t get to sleep.”

“ _You_ couldn’t get to sleep? I’m surprised.”

“That’s enough sarcasm out of you, sir.” Benny nudged Bad Cop until he sat up, then stood up himself. “Go get comfy while I make it.” Bad Cop frowned as Benny helped himself to the fridge and cupboards, then shrugged and trudged back to his bedroom to change into an old, soft tee shirt and a pair of pajama pants. When he came back, Benny had… _something_ heating up on the stove top. “So I had a thought. When was the last time you took a vacation?”

Bad Cop froze, halfway wondering how Benny even knew he’d come back already, and gave him a confused stare. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Cause you seem like the type who never goes on vacation. Or at least never got the opportunity to once you started working for Lord Business, I’m sure he expected you to work twenty-four seven like his robots.” Benny rolled his eyes at the very idea of it. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you should _take_ a vacation. Get out of Bricksburg for a while. Go stay with your parents maybe, and for heaven’s sake, _talk to them_. It’s kinda sad you’re pouring your heart out to a guy you’ve only known a week before you tell _them_ something this important. And if Business even _thinks_ of telling you no, we’ll take care of him,” Benny finished with a smirk.

Bad Cop stared at him. “…Thank you,” he said after a moment, almost too quietly to hear. “For the pizza, and the advice, and for just… listening, and caring enough to do any of that at all, even if I don’t really understand _why_.”

“Cause you’re my friend, _duh_ ,” Benny reminded him, grinning. “And you’re welcome. Now come on, eat at least _one_ slice before you turn in for the night, I could hear your stomach growling. Have you had _anything_ since that bagel I shoved at you this morning?”

“No,” Bad Cop admitted with some embarrassment, and grabbed a slice from the box. Food did seem a little more appealing now, so he took a bite.

Emmet wasn’t kidding, it really _was_ the best pizza in Bricksburg.

“Whoa, slow down!” Benny laughed as he practically inhaled the rest of it, and shooed him toward the couch. “You’re gonna make yourself sick!” He grabbed the remote and turned on the television, changing the channel to what Bad Cop strongly suspected was the Discovery Channel before turning the volume way down.

“Ben. What’s the point of turning on the TV if you’re just going to make it so I can’t hear it?”

“Just sit down and relax, geez!” Bad Cop raised an eyebrow at the clinking of ceramic, but did as he was told, easing himself onto the couch. He closed his eyes and let out a comfortable sigh as he sank into the cushions. When he opened his eyes again, it was to find Benny had set the pizza box and a pair of mugs on the coffee table. He reached for one of them.

“…Warm milk?”

“With a bit of honey and vanilla. It always put me right to sleep.” Bad Cop cautiously took a sip. It wasn’t as sweet as he’d been expecting, and honestly wasn’t half bad. As he continued to sip at his milk, Benny began to talk, about his life growing up in the Old West, the difficulty of wanting to be an astronaut in a realm full of cowboys and outlaws, which then turned to the topic of his college days in Cape Space, his excitement to study subjects he was passionate about, and the teasing he got for his accent that he’d wound up working so hard to train himself out of. Bad Cop found himself dozing off as Benny launched into the tale of his first mission into space. Benny trailed off as Bad Cop began to slump against him, his breathing deepening, and grinned triumphantly. “Works every time,” he muttered. “Alright, off to bed with you.”

“Whuh?” Bad Cop jolted upright again, blinking at him.

“As exhausted as you look, I’m not about to let you pass out on your _couch_. You’re getting a proper night’s rest in an actual _bed_ , if I have anything to say about it.”

Bad Cop set his empty mug down and gave Benny a long look. “…I think I know why I feel so at ease around you now.”

Benny looked up from where he was closing the pizza box. “Yeah?”

“You’re a lot like him.”

The astronaut gave him a dazzling grin. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

Bad Cop found himself smiling back, if not quite as brightly. “It is. You two… you would have got on great, I think. He would have enjoyed snarking right back at you.”

“Goodness, no wonder you’re good at it, you’ve already had practice.” Bad Cop huffed at him, before turning a concerned look to the mess on his coffee table. “Go, I got this. I made the mess anyway. Do you need me to tuck you in?” Benny grinned at him, waggling his eyebrows.

“Knock that off, you lunatic.” Benny snickered and waved him away.

“Good night, Cary.”

“…Good night, Ben.”


	4. Danny Boy

Bad Cop woke the next morning feeling… not exactly _well_ rested, but more rested than he had all week. He showered and dressed before making his way to the kitchen for some coffee, and nearly sat on his guest before he recognized the blue-clad figure sprawled out on his couch, snoring away. He stared for a long minute, trying to wrap his as of yet uncaffeinated brain around this development. Had Benny really stayed all night, just to make sure he’d be okay?

He shook his head, unable to make heads or tails of the strange man, before the beeping of his coffee maker called him away. The noise pulled a snort from the astronaut, who then sat up, blinking blearily at his unfamiliar surroundings.

“…This isn’t my apartment,” he observed.

“No kidding,” came Bad Cop’s gruff voice, and Benny jumped, whirling to face him. “Coffee?” the cop offered.

“Ah, no thanks,” Benny declined, grinning sheepishly. “Caffeine and I get on a little _too_ well, you know?”

“…No, I don’t,” Bad Cop said at length, “But I’ll take your word for it.” He took a sip from the steaming mug himself. Benny blinked up at him as he realized something.

“You’re not in uniform.”

“How astute of you.” When Benny pouted at him, he continued with, “Decided to take your advice.”

“Oh!” The spaceman lit up like the sun. “Well that’s good! I hope it helps.” He patted his thighs, looking around the quiet apartment as Bad Cop drank more of his coffee. The silence was starting to get to him, and while words and comfort had come easily to him the night before, it just felt awkward now. “I guess I’ll get out of your hair now, I mean you gotta pack and stuff and I’ll just be in the way.” He bounced to his feet, grinning. “Have fun on your vacation!” he burbled, and before Bad Cop could utter so much as a word, Benny had shown himself out. The cop could only stare after him and shake his head. Just when he thought he was starting to get the astronaut figured out…

Bad Cop pulled his cell phone out, hitting the speed dial number for his parents’ house, feeling anxiety soaring the longer the phone rang. What would he say to them? Where would he even _start?_ It had been so long since he and Good had really spoken to their parents, keeping their conversations brief and courteous, just enough to keep them from worrying while also keeping them safe from Business’ schemes.

It hurt, to hear how surprised and thrilled they were that he’d actually called for once, and he felt like the worst son in the world for it. But he pushed himself through the conversation, telling them everything he’d told Benny the night before. His Mum let out a sob when her fears were confirmed, that Alastar truly _was_ dead. They both remained silent as he continued talking, about what their job truly was, about how Business punished them when they failed to capture a Master Builder, that being forced to Kragle them had been their punishment for The Special escaping with the Piece of Resistance. That he’d been too weak to protect his brother, that Alastar was the strong one, for defying Business and standing up for what he knew was right, even at the cost of his life.

“Oh, sweetheart,” his mother crooned into the phone, tone both sad and soothing, “ _come home_.”

He nearly lost his composure at those two words, relief flooding him that he still had a home to come to. “Yes, Mummy,” he choked out, and they hung up. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to get his wild emotions under control. It was harder, without Alastar’s neutrality there to keep him grounded. He busied himself with packing, and it was only as he was locking his door that he realized the only vehicle he had now was his motorcycle. He glanced down at his suitcase, and gave a resigned sigh. Looked like he’d be taking a taxi.

Bad Cop stepped over to Benny’s apartment, hoping he hadn’t left yet, and knocked. “Just a moment!” came a shout from some distance, and a few seconds later the door opened. “Oh, you’re still here!”

“Just on my way out, actually. Wanted to ask if you’d mind getting my mail while I’m gone.”

“Sure, not a problem.” He glanced down at the suitcase. “…Want a ride? I don’t have anywhere I have to be for a while yet, it won’t be a problem, and it’d sure beat trying to wrestle that thing onto your bike.”

Tension he hadn’t even realized was there bled out of him. “Thank you, Ben. I really wasn’t looking forward to trying public transportation.”

“Not a problem,” Benny repeated, grinning. Bad Cop was thoroughly unsurprised to find himself led to a spaceship, though at least this one was considerably smaller than the battleship Benny had built on Takos Tuesday. He threw his luggage in and climbed into the passenger side, making sure his seatbelt was fastened. He’d _seen_ how Benny flew the last one, and though the astronaut was considerably less excited now, he wasn’t taking any chances.

But Benny was a reasonable flyer this time, merely bouncing slightly in his seat and singing “spaceship, spaceship~” under his breath. He followed Bad Cop’s directions out into the country, and touched down in the field just past his parents’ driveway. “Aww, what a cute little place!” Benny cooed. “This is where you grew up?”

“Yes.”

“Aww, lookit you, little country boy~”

“Like you have any room to talk, _cowboy_?” Benny snickered.

“Oh, hey! Give me your phone!”

Bad Cop startled at the sudden demand. “What?”

“How are you supposed to keep in touch if you don’t have my phone number?”

“…Again, what?” But he handed it over without further protest, and watched in amazement as Benny expertly navigated its system. The astronaut caught his look.

“Dude, I’m not _stupid_. I spent twenty-some years in stasis, and another five on the run. Not very conducive to _keeping up_ with technological development, but it doesn’t mean I can’t _learn_ this new stuff. Emmet showed me a few tricks the other day.”

“Oh.” Benny typed away for several minutes, tongue poking out in concentration, then handed the phone over with a proud grin.

“There, that should be everyone now! And I have yours too!” He proceeded to enter it into his own phone. Bad Cop reached for his suitcase and climbed out of the spaceship. His parents were standing in the open doorway waiting for him. He glanced back just in time to see Benny waving goodbye, and the canopy closed once more, the small craft lifting off to return to the city. Then his attention was back on his parents as his mother wrapped her thin arms around him, crooning comfort to him, and he couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.

~* *~

His first week back was rough. When he wasn’t catching up on much needed sleep, he was trying to help his parents around the house, only to be shooed away. “I’ve been making this on my own for _years_ , dear, I’ll be just fine.”

“I _know_ , Mum, but if I don’t have _something_ to do, I may just lose what’s left of my mind.”

“Why don’t you go work in your shop, then?”

That gave him pause. He’d completely forgotten about it. “It’s still there?”

She looked up at him, expression inscrutable. “Of course it is, dear. President Business never even realized it was there, he left it untouched.” _When he uprooted our house to torment you_ was left unsaid, but he knew what she meant. It was the one thing about the dual-born twins that Business had _never_ found out, no matter how deeply he pried into their background.

He gave her a small smile and a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Mum.”

“Anytime, sweetie. Now get out of my hair so I can finish this pie.”

The shop in question was hidden in the woods at the edge of their property, dug out of a hill. They’d spent so much time there as kids, slowly carving a proper shop out of the dirt. Their parents had been so supportive of them when they’d discovered their talents, supplying them with tools and materials. The ceiling was just barely tall enough for him to stand without bumping his head against it, and he smiled faintly at the memory of having to dig the floor deeper several times to accommodate their continuously growing height.

The spiders had moved in and taken over in their absence, and he sighed when he saw the collection of cobwebs and insect corpses littering the space. He’d be cleaning up this disaster for a while before he could even _think_ of a project to start.

Bad Cop was still in the process of hunting down the broom and dust pan when his phone began to ring. He frowned, wondering who would possibly be calling him- his parents knew he’d be gone for hours when he was out here, and they generally didn’t bother him. Caller ID told him it was Benny. “…Hello?”

“Hey, B!” Benny greeted, sounding cheerful as ever. “Haven’t heard a peep from you all week, and we were starting to wonder about you!”

“We?”

“Oh, me and Emmet and Lucy and Metalbeard and Unikitty.”

“Oh.”

“So what’s up? Doing any better?”

“I feel lazy,” Bad Cop deadpanned. “I’ve barely been doing anything other than sleep, it’s really getting irritating.”

Benny laughed at how put out he sounded. “I’m sure it is,” he teased. “Hey, you might wanna turn on the news, I think you’ll be interested in what’s about to go on air.”

Bad Cop glanced at the ancient television sitting on the work bench, and wondered if it would even still function with the sheer amount of dust it had to be holding now. “Hang on,” he said before setting the phone down, and turning the tv set upside-down to empty it of yet more dead bugs and dust. Satisfied that there was nothing else to shake out of it, he set it back down and gave the power switch an experimental flick. By some miracle, it still functioned. “Huh. Look at that.” The picture was staticky and full of snow though, and it took him several minutes of messing with the antenna on the hilltop to get a clear picture. “Still there, Ben?”

“Sure am! What happened?”

“Had to go fix the antenna.”

A moment of stunned silence. “You still use an antenna?”

“…I’m in the, ah, _clubhouse_ we built as a kid. Haven’t touched this place in years.”

“You have a _clubhouse_?? Oh that’s precious,” Benny snickered.

“Shut up, Ben. It was the one place we could go and just be _us_ without having to worry about the other kids harassing us for being different.” He looked around the place. “Made a lot of fond memories here…”

“Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to be a jerk about it.” Benny sounded contrite, or at least like he was pouting. “I gotta say though, you _do_ sound like you’re doing a little better now.”

“I guess.” He flicked through the stations until he found the news, brushing off the stool before sitting on it. “How are things in Bricksburg? It hasn’t fallen apart in my absence, has it?”

“Nah. Not yet, anyway. Things were starting to get a little tense between the Master Builders and the city folk again, so Unikitty took them to rebuild Cloud Cuckooland.” Bad Cop winced at that, but kept silent. “It’s just the four of us here now. Oh! And Busy made Emmet his… I guess you could call him an advisor? I’m not really sure what Sirius said to him to get him to agree to it, but I guess it’s a good thing he’s acknowledging his shortcomings and trying to fix them. He’s already made a couple good suggestions- one was keeping the four of us here to get people used to having Master Builders around without feeling overwhelmed by us, and the other- gosh, I’m so excited for this one! Busy’s going to fund a school for Master Builders! Emmet’s working on the plans for it now, and Lucy and I are gonna be teachers!”

Well, that was definitely interesting news. “Sounds great, Ben.”

“Oh, it’s starting! I’ll let you go now, just wanted to check in. Bye!”

“Bye, Ben.” He set his phone down, eyes glued to the television. President Business was making some sort of announcement, it seemed. He was flanked by human police officers for once, rather than his robots, and a flock of reporters clamored before him, holding up recorders to catch his speech. To anyone else, he appeared calm and collected, but to Bad Cop’s trained eye, he could see the man was pale, nerves likely making him feel ill, and it piqued his curiosity. What was it Business had to announce that was making him so nervous?

The answer was that the man was finally making a formal apology for what he’d done. Bad Cop wanted to believe that his boss was feeling ill because he had to make an apology, but he couldn’t convince himself of it. He knew Business well enough to know when the man was acting, and when he was sincere, and right now he was displaying all the signs of being sincere.

It was depressing, the thought that Emmet had been able to reach him in five _minutes_ , when Good Cop and Bad Cop hadn’t been capable of it in over eight _years_. He supposed the young man was made The Special for a reason, made-up prophecy be damned. Emmet just had a quality to him that Bad Cop simply could not name.

Business continued, saying he would be stepping down as President of the World and giving the realms the freedom to rule themselves once more. Octan Corporation would also be facing a drastic downsizing, as it released its monopoly on so many markets. He also mentioned the school Benny had told him about and was so excited for, and Bad Cop hummed thoughtfully to himself. It seemed President Business truly was trying to turn over a new leaf and make amends.

He snarled to himself and snapped the television off. It didn’t matter how many good intentions Business had, it didn’t matter how many of the wrongs he committed he tried to make right, _none_ of it was going to bring his brother back. He shoved himself away from the bench and roughly grabbed the broom, attacking the cobwebs on the ceiling with a vengeance. If this place was the only thing he had left of Alastar, he would make darn sure it was pristine.


	5. Karma

“I made something I think you’ll like,” was the first thing Amy said to him the next time she came to babysit. The first week she watched him and Suzy had been nothing short of exciting, and she’d even been willing to play Legos with him. There were no grand adventures as of yet, but Finn _did_ like the twist she’d thought up for Bad Cop, and he couldn’t wait to have him reveal it to his friends.

She reached into a pocket on her messenger bag and pulled out a pair of minifigures, explaining each of them as she handed them over. “This is Caesar,” she said, placing one of the figures into his palm. “He’s a pirate captain who’s retired from sailing the seas, but not from collecting stories and causing mischief.” He had dark skin, and a neatly trimmed white mustache and beard, with a wide-brimmed hat with the typical red plume in it, and a long red coat. Finn swore he saw a twinkle in the figure’s black eyes, and didn’t doubt one bit that he caused a _lot_ of mischief. “And this is Airheart, an adventurous young pilot turned pirate of the skies.”

“Like the lady pilot who disappeared one day?”

“Inspired by her, yeah, but she doesn’t spell it the same.”

The boy looked over the other figure, dressed almost like the stereotypical 1930s pilots, though her goggles were as decorative as they were functional. It took him a moment to realize she had _painted_ on them, making them custom. An idea started to form in his mind, and Amy grinned to see the gears turning.

“You painted these?” he asked, looking back up at her.

“Yes.”

“Could you…” He bit his lip, hesitant to ask whatever was on his mind. “Could you fix Good Cop?”

“Let’s make an adventure of it,” Amy said, “and you can consider him good as new.”

~* *~

The number of phone calls Bad Cop received after that first one from Benny increased exponentially. Some were from the astronaut, a few from Unikitty, and even one from Lucy, but the majority of them were from Emmet. He chalked that one up to the young man simply being excited to finally have friends that actually paid attention to him, as none of Emmet’s phone calls seemed to have any real purpose to them other than to gush about some new thing he’d learned, a new movie the others had shown him, any new experience, really, and he wanted to share them with the one friend who wasn’t there to experience it with him. As exasperating as it was, he felt a growing fondness for the enthusiastic young man, and wondered if that was what it felt like to have a kid brother.

His parents’ visits to his shop saw an increase in frequency as well, on the pretense of seeing how his project was coming along, or to leave a snack for him because he was “looking too thin still”. Unlike his friends, who seemed to have no idea exactly what his condition was, his parents were worried. They had every right to be.

Exhaustion and weakness were catching up to him again as well, no matter how much he slept or how well he ate. Nightmares were also becoming a problem, as he couldn’t afford the energy to continue blocking the residual memories of his missing half. A headache was settling in, too, set off by the fluorescent lights of the shop. He sighed and decided to call it a night. He ran his fingers over the hood of the sleek black car he had just finished restoring, halfway wondering if he would ever get the chance to take it out on a test drive, before shutting off the lights and leaving the shop. Night had fallen fast, and even taking off his aviators didn’t help him to see very far.

It wasn’t until he cleared the woods that he realized the darkness was his own failing vision and not the lack of sunlight. He never made it back to the house.

~* *~

Business grumbled to himself, raking his fingers through his hair and mussing up its meticulous styling, freeing it to curl in its natural way. Emmet tapped his fingers together, watching the President nervously. Now that things were settled once more, the people of Bricksburg were clamoring for him to step down. Emmet felt terrible, that those same people had tried to ask _him_ to be their new President, but he’d turned each and every one of them down. He could be President Business’ liaison, but even that was more power than he ever wanted to have. He _liked_ being a construction worker, and learning architecture was proving incredibly fascinating as well. It was his calling.

Benny sat next to him, the only other person Business had called to his office in search of advice. They were the only two whose judgment the President felt he could trust- the other Master Builders were still getting over their grudges against him, though they really were trying. They had tried to keep the fact that people were trying to put Emmet in his spot a secret, but he’d still found out. Really, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to be a jerk and throw that in Business’ face.

“What do you think I should do?” Business finally spoke to his audience of two. Benny and Emmet exchanged concerned glances. For so long the Master Builders had wanted to see him defeated and deposed, but now that it was actually happening… He looked so utterly lost, being deprived of his purpose. Perhaps that was another reason the others hadn’t been called; he didn’t trust them enough to show such weakness in front of them.

“There’s really only one thing you _can_ do,” Benny said regretfully. “Step down now before they start rioting. Face it, you screwed up, and they have a right to dislike you.” Business gave him a hurt look. “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. You’re gonna be hurting for a while, until they warm up to you again. And they might not ever.”

Business slumped in his seat. “It’s stuff like this that makes trying to be a good guy _really hard_ ,” he complained.

“Making the right decisions is never easy,” Benny agreed. “But it’s worth it, in the end. And this time you won’t have to make them alone.”

“Yeah!” Emmet chirped. “You have us now!” The construction worker beamed at him. “And making that apology was a great first step, I’m proud of you for taking it without even needing any prompting.” Business managed a small smile as Benny echoed that sentiment.

The three of them nearly jumped out of their skin when the astronaut’s phone started to chirp loudly. Benny gave it a worried frown when he recognized the number, and hit ‘answer’. “Hello?” Seconds later, all color drained from his face.

“What is it?” Emmet prompted.

“That was Ma and Pa,” Benny said quietly. “Bad Cop’s in the hospital.”

~* *~

Benny had fled to the library shortly after meeting the elder Callaghans in the hospital’s waiting room. Pa had been trying to explain to him just what was wrong with Bad Cop while Ma was trying to get the bill settled, and she didn’t take too kindly to Business offering to pay all the expenses. There was only so much the spaceman could take of her laying into the businessman (even if it was somewhat amusing to see where Bad Cop got his temper from), or Emmet’s panicking and trying to defuse the situation. Pa also saw that as a priority, so Benny left to educate himself on the cop’s unusual condition.

Dual-born, Pa has said, was when twins were born into the same body. In and of itself it was nothing detrimental, in fact being dual-born granted a number of perks. It certainly explained why Bad Cop was so resilient, despite the number of injuries he’d sustained over the years of hunting Master Builders.

But the body depended on having two minds to pilot it, so when one disappeared, it put great strain on the remaining mind, which was very quick to translate into great strain on the body. Which explained why Bad Cop’s vitality had plummeted so quickly, why he looked like he’d lost fifty pounds in only ten days. Benny felt ill, when all his research pointed to none of the dual-born having lost a twin surviving for very long, a month at most, perhaps. And Bad Cop was already past the halfway point of that countdown. Angrily, Benny wondered if Business had known about it when he’d decided to erase Good Cop. He’d be having _words_ with that man regardless.

He sent out a mass text to all his friends, asking them to meet him in his apartment. He hated the thought that he was about to betray Bad Cop’s trust, but this was a secret that _shouldn’t_ be kept. He headed back home, and anxiously paced in his living room as he waited for everyone to arrive.

Emmet and Lucy were the first to get there, followed by Business, then Metalbeard, and Unikitty last, having had to come all the way from Cloud Cuckooland. “What’s goin’ on, lad?” the pirate asked. Benny finally paused in his pacing, leveling such a glare at Business that the former President of the World actually shrank away from it, surprising everyone else. Metalbeard and Unikitty exchanged worried looks; it wasn’t often Benny got _that mad_ at _anyone_.

“Do you know,” Benny started, tone impressively calm and at odds with his thunderous stare, “just what exactly it means to be dual-born?” Business swallowed hard, having a feeling what Benny was getting at, but everyone else simply looked confused.

“Are you talking about Good Cop and Bad Cop?” Emmet asked. Benny nodded. “I’m guessing there’s more to it than simply being two minds in one body…?” Benny nodded again.

“Good guess Emmet, there’s a _lot_ more to it. Like how, in order to adapt to their unusual situation, their body _requires both minds to be active and intact to function properly_. Were you aware of that when you decided to _erase Good Cop_ , Business?”

The former President looked like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

“But he came back, didn’t he? I mean, he drew his own face back on,” Lucy tentatively questioned.

“No. He did not. It’s been Bad Cop this whole time.”

Everyone slowly turned to look at Business, who by now was shaking and on the verge of tears. “I know, I _know!_ ” he cried out. Emmet was the only person in that room that _didn’t_ look like he wished a slow and painful death on him, but he did look mighty disappointed, and that was just as bad. “What I did to them was completely inexcusable, and I feel like the worst person in the world for it! I’ve been trying to find a way to fix it, searching my archives, testing all my artifacts, but I…!” He choked, and it took him a minute to find his voice again. “Even with all the science and technology I have at my fingertips, there’s nothing I can do… I _want_ to make it right, I want it _so bad_ , but I can’t…”

“What about magic, then?” Unikitty suggested. “I’ll search _my_ archives! I’m sure I’ll find something!”

“Weren’t your archives destroyed with Cloud Cuckooland?” Lucy asked, giving her a doubtful look, but the princess merely waved her off.

“Cloud Cuckooland was a haven for _people_ , not _information_.” She smirked. “No, I stored my archives away in the Forest of Obsolete Products. I knew Business would _never_ set foot there if he could help it.”

“You’re darn right I wouldn’t!” Business yelped. “It’s not only disorderly, it’s _dangerous!_ ”

“Aye, and I’ve been summoned to a meeting of the Brethren Court,” Metalbeard interrupted. “Mayhaps one of me fellow captains has happened upon something that could help.”

“You sure they’d share anything with you?” Benny asked, the tension easing from his posture.

“They might. They know me well enough to know it’s not fame or fortune I’m after, but a good tale to tell!” The astronaut grinned up at him, floating once again as hope took hold.


	6. Airship Pirate

Metalbeard sighed to himself, shaking his head. He often wondered _why_ they ever bothered to convene. Pirates by nature were a rather tight-lipped lot around other crews, jealously guarding their maps and information. And right then there was a lot of arguing over who should open and get the meeting started. Metalbeard had had enough.

The giant cyborg rose to his feet and fired his gun twice, putting an effective and very _sudden_ end to the bickering. “If ye all be quite done actin’ like _children_ , I’d like to find out what we were all called here for and be on me way,” he boomed, “and ye all better be findin’ someone to open quick or I be nominatin’ Caesar.” That threat always worked like a charm.

“Noon!” someone else barked. “You’re the one who called us all here in the first place, why don’t you tell us what the big deal is?” Metalbeard watched as Captain Noon grumbled and stood from his seat, clearing his throat several times before he finally got started. Must be big news, indeed.

“We have a new enemy, my brothers and sisters,” he stated, his gravelly voice reinforcing the seriousness of the matter. “I have seen with my own eyes, a new crew of corsairs that have taken their plundering to the skies! The captain, a young lass who goes by the name Airheart, has a ship that can _fly_.”

 _So does me best mate_ , Metalbeard wanted to point out, but Benny wasn’t a _pirate_. Pirates that could fly would be the _worst_ kind of trouble, he knew, and it seemed the other captains were of like mind on the matter. When Captain Noon showed them an illustration of the ship, Metalbeard knew his stomach would be churning, if he still had one. She was a beautiful frigate, retrofitted with engines and canvas wings- the sturdiness of which could only point to one thing. _Someone_ on that crew had to be a Master Builder.

Ships built to sail the seas were _never_ meant to sail the skies as well.

“How are we supposed to be able to defend ourselves against _that?!_ ” another young captain cried out, but no one had an answer for him. They all glanced at each other helplessly, wracking their brains for any ideas. Inevitably they turned to the one Master Builder among their numbers, who could only shrug.

“I’ll let ye know when I figure something out,” was all he could offer.

“Next order of business?” a lady captain called out, and there was a stretch of quiet.

“I be lookin’ for somethin’ of a... restorative nature,” Metalbeard finally broke the silence. “A relic, perhaps a spell.”

The other captains glanced between each other, and Metalbeard could see it in their eyes that they had nothing for him- not that they were hiding something they might know of, but that they were utterly clueless as to which direction to point him.

“I might have something for you,” drawled another voice, and Metalbeard was certain his mechanical heart locked up for a few seconds upon hearing it. He’d always had a sneaking suspicion that Caesar was Vitruvius’ brother, possibly even twin- the two certainly _sounded_ almost exactly alike, and even looked quite similar, but neither brought up anything about family in all the time he’d known them.

Man Upstairs, he _missed_ that crazy old hippie.

There was a collective groan as Caesar got up to launch into his latest tale of insanity. Nobody could ever quite decide if the retired captain was completely off his rocker, or if he just enjoyed sending everyone after nonexistent treasure so he could sit back and laugh at the ensuing chaos. “Ladies and gents, I present to you, a map leading to the location of a lost civilization!”

Metalbeard rolled his good eye and stood up with every other captain at the table. “Stuff it Caesar, we’re not falling for any more of your stories,” a lady grumbled as she stomped out.

“Not even if I told you it could lead to a relic said to restore what’s been lost?”

Metalbeard slowed, then came to a stop, as the others flowed around his massive frame. Though he kept his back turned to the old man, he could _feel_ that smirk.

“Of all the ears to catch, Metalbeard, I have to say I am _very_ surprised that it’s yours.” Caesar looked him up and down, studying his robotic body as if for the first time. “Or perhaps not.”

Metalbeard narrowed his one good eye at the man. “T’ain’t for me own sake I be curious, Caesar,” he warned, and the smug look on the old captain’s face faded somewhat. “Maybe I miss a few things about bein’ flesh and blood, but in the face of the things I can do in _this_ body, they’re trivialities I can live without. Nay, it be for me new crewmate that I’m askin’. He’s hurtin’, real bad, in a way even time can’t heal.”

“Well then.” Caesar sobered up, clasping his hands together. “That changes everything.”

Metalbeard tried not to let his disappointment show. “So ye be _admittin’_ it ain’t real?”

“On the contrary! There’s always a kernel of truth to my stories. But true to pirate nature, I don’t give away _all_ the secrets when greed is involved.”

“So why are ye tellin’ _me_ this?”

“You’ve always been someone out of the ordinary, Jonas Craggy. You never take more than you need to survive. You don’t seek out wealth, but _adventure_ , and your first priority has always been the well-being of your crew. And, considering the trials the notes I found speak of, you and your new crew might be the only ones who _can_ solve them.”

“I hope ye’ve got more to offer me than just flattery.”

“Certainly.” With a flourish, Caesar pulled a weather worn leather journal from inside his coat, and flipped through it for a bit before tearing several pages from it and handing them over. “Good luck,” he said earnestly, and traipsed out of the dilapidated ‘meeting room’. Metalbeard glanced down at the papers in his hand, and felt hope.

~* *~

Caesar was _lousy_ at taking notes, it turned out. It took Metalbeard _hours_ to sort through the hastily-scrawled directions and plot a course, nearly a full day, really. Especially considering he’d gone over all his careful calculations three times to make sure the empty bit of ocean was really where the directions led to. But by some miracle he actually found an island there, barely more than a little blip of land. “Well sink me,” the pirate muttered to himself. “There _is_ something there.” He found Caesar’s sloppily scribbled map of the island, flipped open his compass, and marched forward.

Sure enough, right where Caesar had indicated, were the crumbling remains of what must have once been a grand temple. Nearly an entire wall had caved in- how the rest of it was still standing was beyond him, but maybe Emmet would know. If this actually proved legit and he had reason to bring the young man to the uncharted island. He ducked inside, taking a look around.

He noted with some surprise that a single torch was burning. Had Caesar left it when he discovered the place? But there was no telling how long ago that was, how could it still be burning? “Prob’ly the same way the place is still standing,” he muttered to himself, and began to look around, minding his step. There seemed to be pipes all over the place.

He noticed there appeared to be writing on the walls, and stepped in for a closer look. The symbols were strange and unfamiliar to him. With a thoughtful hum he glanced back to the ruined wall. Well, the place was real enough, he just had to get the evidence back to his friends. He picked up a crumbled chunk of stone and took it with him back to his ship. Business had shown something of an aptitude for ancient civilizations in recent weeks, perhaps he could make sense of it.

He was halfway through a pleasantly uneventful voyage when he heard an unusual sound. It sounded somewhat like the propellers at the stern of the Sea Cow, but coming from an entirely unreasonable direction. “Oh no,” he groaned, even as he glanced skyward to confirm it. He’d been spotted by the flying upstarts, and was now a prime target. Normally other pirates passed him by peacefully, as he kept no rations on his ship, and anything of value he kept on his person- no one was willing to try to get close enough to steal from him when his treasure chest was _part of his body_ \- but this crew might be new enough not to know him yet. Sure enough, they opened fire on him.

“Curse ye scurvy sky dogs!” Metalbeard bellowed, turning his ship as quickly as he could manage, trying to make the Sea Cow a smaller target, and slammed down a lever, the propellers on his own ship roaring to life. He hoped they would give him enough of a boost in speed to outrun the sky ship pursuing him. Scowling over his shoulder, he spotted “Sky Rogue” painted in fancy lettering along the ship’s side, and spotted the anchor hurtling at him just in time to dive to the side and avoid what would have potentially been a disastrous collision. It latched onto the deck’s railing, tethering the sky ship to him, and more ropes dropped over the side, bringing sky pirates with them. Metalbeard tried to aim for the ropes as he fired, but they were descending too quickly, and too soon half the Sky Rogue’s crew was roaming the Sea Cow.

Including the captain.

She seemed rather shocked to find the cyborg was the only living soul on the ship, but it only stopped her for a few seconds, before she was once more leading the charge. Metalbeard put up an impressive fight, keeping them at bay and hoped he could keep it up long enough that they would give it up as a lost cause, but then one of them fired something at him that had his robot body collapsing helplessly in a heap. He tried to shake off the tingles of the… electricity gun? It certainly had a very alien design, but he was entirely paralyzed. He glowered as the captain spun the gun around a finger before sliding it back into its holster, traipsing up to him confidently. “My, you’re a live wire!”

“Just ye wait til I can move again lass, I’ll show ye just how much of a ‘live wire’ I can be,” he spat back at her.

She simply smirked at him, green eyes sparkling. “Oh, we’ll be _long_ gone by the time it wears off, honey.” She leaned her hip against him, looking down into his furious gaze.

“What do ye want, lass, I’ve got nothin’ worth stealin’.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong! See, we’re on something of a mission. Our trail led us to Caesar, which in turn led us to _you_. Now, do be a dear and tell us where you hid the notes he gave you.”

“On a bit of a mission meself, lass, one that’s rather more important than _treasure hunting_.”

“More important than finding _Atlantis?_ ” The gobsmacked look on his face was genuine and oh so satisfying. “Oh, did Caesar fail to mention that little detail?”

“Still not handin’ them over, girlie,” Metalbeard grumbled. “ _I_ need them.” He didn’t like the way she smiled at him, at that.

“That suits me just fine. I don’t need your permission. Now…” She reached down, tapping on his chest. “If I was in your unique situation, I’d certainly keep _my_ most valuable possessions on my person. The way you fight would certainly be a deterrent to any _other_ pirate.” She grinned, her hands going for the latches on the chest. “But I’m not just any other pirate.”

“ _Get yer hands offa me!_ ” Metalbeard roared, but to no avail. He still couldn’t move to give her reason to back off.

“Ah, there we go,” she cooed as she took the crumpled pages from within his chest. She pecked his cheek. “Thanks a bunch, honey,” she told him before sauntering away. As they ascended the ropes back to their ship, Metalbeard bellowed wordlessly after them, outraged.

It was hours before he could haul himself to his feet again, his frame trembling at the force of his sheer fury. No one had _ever_ successfully raided him before. Ever! He’d have to bring that gun up with his friends, see if one of them couldn’t find a way to counter it. He trudged below deck to check on the piece of the temple he’d stowed away, and was relieved they hadn’t searched any further and taken _that_ as well. At least he would still have some sort of proof that he wasn’t just blowing hot air. With a sigh, he set about figuring out just where he’d drifted so he could set himself back on course and get to Bricksburg.

~* *~

Bad Cop instantly was aware he wasn’t in his own bed when he finally came to, and cracking his eyes open revealed the stark white of a hospital room. It was extremely disorienting, especially after that _weird_ dream he’d had. Not a horrifying nightmare like he’d come to expect anymore, but definitely something he couldn’t make sense of. Neither he nor Good Cop had ever been prone to having such nonsensical dreams.

He’d been in another world entirely, it felt like, with a being that was both enormous and young, and they were saying something to him. He couldn’t remember what it was, but now he had an unsettling itch in the back of his mind. He would almost get his hopes up and think it was his twin finally making a comeback, but it was worryingly unfamiliar.

His head still throbbed, but now it was that unpleasant ache of having slept too long and really needing a drink of water. His limbs were also largely unresponsive, making him feel almost like he was floating. How long had he been out?

There was movement at his side, and he looked over to see his mother sitting up in the plastic chair she was occupying, eyes brightening as she realized he was awake. “Oh son, you gave us such a scare…!”

“’m sorry, Mum,” Bad Cop croaked in response.

“We thought that… this was it…” She sniffled and took his hand, squeezing it tightly with both of her own. “The doctors weren’t expecting you to make a comeback… But you’re awake!” He squeezed back, slowly feeling strength and sensation returning to him.

“Water?” he rasped, and she fetched a water bottle from where it was sitting on the floor. It took a few tries for him to grab it, his arms not cooperating well, but he eventually managed and took a sip. It felt wonderful going down. A few more sips, and then he tried pushing himself upright. Movement came a little easier that time. Odd; he didn’t think he should be feeling this… alright, having apparently come so close to death.

“Cary?”

“I’m okay, Mum,” he said, and meant it. “I’m… I’m _okay_.” Why, though, was a mystery he intended to solve, and soon.

~* *~

Twenty-four hours and a battery of tests later, and the doctors still could not determine the cause for his recovering health. It went against everything they knew of dual-born. His mum had convinced them to let his friends visit him, at least, though he was still confined to the hospital bed. Not that that was much of a deterrent- he still sat on the edge of the bed, stockinged feet just barely touching the tiled floor.

“This is so _surreal_ ,” Lucy muttered. “We spent so long thinking of you as this big, terrifying monster, that I literally cannot wrap my brain around seeing you in a hospital gown.”

Benny snickered, and Bad Cop scowled in response. “Believe me, this wasn’t my first choice.”

“I had no idea your eyes were that _blue_.” Said eyes were currently trying to stare a hole through her, and Lucy shifted uncomfortably. “Sorry.”

“Probably how Good Cop managed to get so many Master Builders to ‘fess up,” Benny said, grinning. “Just bat those pretty blue eyes and they’d probably give him the moon.” He cackled as Bad Cop’s face turned red, and found himself with a faceful of pillow. “Oof!”

“Nice throw.”

Benny hugged the pillow close, floating off his chair. “So when are they releasing you?”

“With any luck, tomorrow. While they’re not finding why I’m… actually recovering, they’re also not finding anything to warrant _keeping_ me here. Even if they try, I’ll just walk out on my own. I’m only staying to humor Mum and Dad.”

“I take it you’ve done that a lot,” Lucy ventured. “…Just how many times _did_ we land you in the hospital?”

“Less often than you’re apparently thinking.”

“Well, that’s… good, I guess…?”

“Did I miss much while I was out?”

“Well, your parents told me what it means to be dual-born…” Benny started, earning a sharp look from Bad Cop, and he frowned in response. “Let’s just say Busy’s in hot water with _everyone_ right now.”

“Literally everyone, at that, not just our little circle,” Lucy continued. “The people are trying to get him out of office, and it actually seems to be working.”

Bad Cop snorted. “Took them long enough. I’m surprised they didn’t start screaming for blood immediately after the fight.”

“They tried to get Emmet to take over.” Benny smirked. “He’s not having any of it.”

“…Smart kid,” Bad Cop remarked. “He’s nice enough, but I don’t think he’s suited to it.”

“He doesn’t think so either, and besides, he loves the job he has now.” Lucy smiled fondly. “Even moreso than before, I think, since coming to the realization that having that particular experience is what helped him to help _us_ so much.” Her watch beeped, and she glanced at it. “Oh, I should get going, I promised I’d meet up with him when he got off work.”

“Have fun on your date,” Benny teased, grinning. She snatched the pillow from him and whopped him over the head with it before tossing it back to Bad Cop, who could only shake his head at them. The spaceman snickered as she left. He fell silent after a moment, and turned his attention to Bad Cop.

“You don’t have to stay, Ben.”

“You sure you’re alright? And this isn’t some sort of ‘last hurrah’?”

“Well, the doctors seem pretty convinced. And I haven’t felt like this since… for a while, now.”

Benny managed to give him a smile. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Bad Cop nodded his farewell and Benny floated out of the hospital room, lost in thought.


	7. Captain Ulysses

It was actually a couple days before Benny saw Bad Cop again. He and Emmet had gone to offer their friend a ride back to his apartment, only to find he’d already left with his parents. “Well it makes sense,” Emmet told a pouting Benny. “He probably left some important things there and just had to go back to get them, I don’t think he meant anything personal by it.”

As it was, the astronaut quickly found his attention occupied by other things. Emmet’s plans for the new school had been both Master Builder and architect approved, and they were breaking ground to begin construction. A lot of Master Builders had gathered to celebrate, and Benny knew his absence from this momentous occasion would be questioned, by his friends if not by his peers. He walked to the future construction site, as it wasn’t too great a distance from his apartment, and such a nice day out. He’d even remembered to wear civvies rather than his normal spacesuit, though Lucy rolled her eyes to see his rather loud Hawaiian shirt over his Space Corps tee shirt.

It was surprising how much press was actually there to cover the event, and they had plenty of questions for the Master Builders- particularly those who had fought side by side with the Special. Benny smirked to himself as Unikitty smoothly stepped in and took over for a very flustered Emmet.

The spaceman left shortly after that. He truly was excited to get to be a teacher to young Master Builders, but was starting to doubt his abilities. The only things he’d ever really Built were spaceships- and that submarine he’d put together with the others, but that disaster didn’t really bear thinking about. What if the kids didn’t want to build spaceships? What if he couldn’t show them how to build other things?

...He would have to talk to Lucy at some point, maybe ask for some tips. She was Vitruvius’ star student, she could Build _anything_.

Benny was so lost in thought, he didn’t realize he’d come to the apartment building’s parking lot already. He paused, standing in the middle of the lot; it was about the middle of the afternoon, not quite time the other tenants would get off work and come back home yet, and he didn’t recognize the sleek black muscle car occupying a formerly unclaimed spot. He perked up. Was there a new tenant?? He hurried inside to try to meet them, and nearly missed the tall figure standing by the mail boxes in his haste. His sneakers actually squeaked against the tiled floor from stopping so suddenly. “…Bad Cop?”

Bad Cop blinked at him. “Ben. I almost didn’t recognize you, out of your suit.”

“Jerk, we thought you were coming back _yesterday_ , why didn’t you say anything?? You missed the groundbreaking ceremony, too!” Benny pouted at him.

The cop grimaced at the reminder. “I honestly forgot about that, I’m sorry Ben. But I’m… not sure I’m up for being around crowds yet, anyway.”

Benny frowned, suddenly worried. “You didn’t have a relapse or something like that, did you?”

“No, nothing like that.” He glanced back outside. “Just a little trouble with the new car, is all.”

“Oh! That’s _yours?!_ Sweet ride, man. Looks custom.”

“It is.”

“How did you afford that??”

“I did the work myself.”

Benny stared. “Pull the other one, it’s got bells on it.” Bad Cop simply quirked an eyebrow at him, pulled his mail from his box, and made his way toward the stairs. “ _Seriously??_ You really did?!”

“Lying never was one of my strong suits.”

“But that’s… And you were… _How?_ Come on, man, details!” Bad Cop smirked and continued up the stairs in silence. “You’re breakin’ my heart, B…” Benny whined. “You’re not secretly a Master Builder, are you? Cause that would be just…” He froze, staring at the cop’s back. “But that can’t be right, you _hunted_ us. You wouldn’t have done that if you were _one of us_ … would you?” Bad Cop still didn’t answer, though the set of his shoulders was more tense now. Benny jolted back into motion, skipping steps to catch up to him. “ _Bad Cop!_ ”

Bad Cop froze, snapping his head toward Benny. Darn those stupid sunglasses- Benny couldn’t see anything past the reflective lenses. It was only the thin line of his mouth that told the spaceman all was _not_ well. “You’re not, are you?”

“We never had any formal training,” Bad Cop finally ground out. “You tell me.” He took two steps before leaning heavily to the side, throwing a hand out to brace against the wall. Benny let out a startled yelp and hurried to his other side. Bad Cop tried to push him away, but he refused to let go. “How can you even stand to be anywhere near me…”

“I thought you said you were no good at lying,” Benny scowled. “‘Car trouble’, my left foot. Come on.”

“I’m _fine_ , Ben, it’ll pass. Now _let go_.” Benny released him with a huff, folding his arms across his chest and watching as Bad Cop took a few more seconds to gather himself before continuing on his way, resolutely not looking at the astronaut. Benny floated along after him and followed him into his apartment, squeezing through the door before it could be shut on him. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope.” Benny frowned at him. “Yeah I’m kinda mad we had _one of our own_ hunting us down this whole time, but I meant it when I said you’re my friend. You won’t be rid of me that easy.”

Bad Cop sighed, watching him for a moment. “Only ‘kind of’?” he said at length. “The others are definitely going to be more than just ‘kind of’ mad when _they_ find out…”

The astronaut shrugged. “Well, you don’t really seem to consider yourself a Master Builder, so I daresay they’ll live.” He plopped down on the couch, patting the cushion next to him. With a grumble that sounded rather like “I don’t need an invitation to sit on my own couch”, Bad Cop sat down with him. “I suppose that does put a few things into perspective, though. We always kind of figured a lot of your equipment was the result of the Think Tank, but now I’m wondering how many of those ideas were actually yours.”

“Just the car,” Bad Cop answered. “Most everything else _did_ come from the Think Tank. We couldn’t risk giving Business any suspicions.”

“I see,” Benny mused. Well, if the other Master Builders _did_ find out, it wouldn’t be from him, he decided. He startled when his phone suddenly started ringing, and was surprised to see it was Emmet. “Thought the party was still going…” he mumbled, but hit answer anyway. “Yello?” Bad Cop snorted, but remained quiet as Benny listened. His eyes went wide. “Shut up!” he suddenly exclaimed, then winced at something Emmet apparently said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that literally, just- you’re serious? He really did? ….He wants us to meet _where?_ ” Benny practically growled the last word, causing Bad Cop to frown in concern. It only worsened when the astronaut heaved an aggravated sigh and thumped his head against the back of the couch. “ _Ugh, fine_ … Yeah, I’ll tell him. Later.” He snapped the phone shut with a snarl.

“Dare I ask what’s going on?”

“Well… Good news is, Metalbeard thinks he’s found something that might help you. Bad news, he wants us to meet at Octan Tower.”

~* *~

Business sat curled up on his sofa, watching the news coverage of the groundbreaking for the new school. He should have been there, he knew, but after certain revelations, he wasn’t sure he would be welcome, or even tolerated.

It wasn’t fair, really. Bad Cop had done plenty of horrible things too, why should _he_ get the luxury of being treated as a victim?

The ringing of his phone pulled him from his thoughts. Darn it, couldn’t he be left alone to have a good sulk just once? But he pulled himself up to answer it anyway. “Business.”

“Sir-there-is-a-Master-Builder-here-to-see-you,” came Velma’s pleasant voice. She was one of the few of his robots that escaped destruction, and continued to function as his secretary. He pinched the bridge of his nose; from the bellowing in the background, he could guess which Master Builder it was exactly.

“Velma, be a dear and tell him I’m not accepting visitors right now, I’m very… busy.” He frowned. That just sounded awful all around. There was a moment of muffled speaking- he could hear Velma’s voice, but not what she was saying- then such a loud, sudden noise he nearly dropped his phone in his haste to get it away from his ear.

“ _Ye get yerself down here right now, ye yellow coward, or I be comin’ up there and haulin’ ye out meself!_ ”

Well. Metalbeard had certainly proven himself one to follow through on his threats before, so Business straightened up his appearance as best he could and made his way down to the lobby. “What’s so important you had to interrupt my schedule?”

Metalbeard snorted at that. “I don’t believe for one second ye’ve really got that much on yer plate now.” He slammed the chunk of stone down onto Velma’s desk, nearly sending the secretary bot into a fit of sparks.

“It’s a rock,” Business stated, staring at him. “You seriously made me come all the way down here for a _rock?_ ”

The pirate huffed at him. “Look closer.” Scowling, Business stepped closer to give it proper inspection, then froze as he realized there was writing carved into it.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, now properly mystified.

“I’ll tell ye when ye get the rest of th’crew here,” Metalbeard grumped. “I ain’t gonna be tellin’ it twice.”

Business’ gaze dropped to his feet. “They’re not talking to me,” he mumbled.

“Fishrot,” Metalbeard snapped, leaving Business gaping at him.

“Metalbeard, _language_ -!”

“Aye, they be plenty mad at ye, but if I know Emmet at least _half_ as well as I think I be knowin’ the lad, at least _he’s_ been tryin’ to stay in contact with ye,” the pirate charged on right over him. Business had the decency to look at least somewhat guilty about that. “Now quit feelin’ sorry for yerself and use yer fancy tech to get back in touch with him.”

The former President frowned at him. “Come to think of it, why are you even _here_ , rather than heading straight for Bricksburg to tell them yourself? You were pretty mad at me too, if I recall correctly.”

“I be a _pirate_ , Business. What right have I to stay mad at ye when I’ve done plenty of less than proper things meself?”

“That’s… probably the most encouraging thing I’ve heard in a while, actually.” Business sighed and pulled out his cell phone, dialing Emmet’s number. “Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but Metalbeard seems to have found something…”


	8. Ancient World

It took a lot of cajoling, pushing, and pulling to even get Bad Cop to set foot inside his former place of employment, let alone all the way up to the conference room. Metalbeard finally stomped over and hauled him over his shoulder, carrying him the rest of the way. Bad Cop was very vocal about his displeasure at being manhandled; the others simply couldn’t help but laugh at his indignant rage. “Some friends you are!” he snarled back at them, to which Benny and Unikitty only laughed harder.

Bad Cop was only deposited back onto his feet once they reached the conference room door, and was roughly pushed through it. As he gripped the doorframe to make the world stop spinning, Emmet slipped past him and made straight for where Business was pacing at the other end of the room, speaking to him in soft tones. Benny stepped up and pressed a hand to his back. “You okay?”

“I’m not a rag doll you lot can just pick up and throw wherever you want,” Bad Cop grumped. “…It’s passing.”

Metalbeard looked alarmed at the exchange, and somewhat apologetic. “If ye still be havin’ problems, lad, what are ye doin’ out of the hospital?”

“No real point in staying when there’s nothing they can do for me.”

“Is that seriously a _rock_?” Lucy interrupted, and Business let out a hysterical little giggle.

“That be the first thing _he_ said too,” Metalbeard huffed, gesturing to the former President. “Honestly, I thought we already learned not to be judgin’ things by first impressions.”

“It has some sort of foreign script on it,” Business finally spoke up. “It’s not just a rock, it’s a piece of something.” He glanced up at the captain for confirmation, and Metalbeard nodded.

“Aye, I found it in the ruins of a temple.” Unikitty nudged her way forward for a closer look, her expression one of concentration. “It be a miracle the place is still standin’.”

“Not quite,” Unikitty said, pressing a paw to the stone. “It’s fading, because it’s no longer near the source, but I can feel magic here.” She looked back up at her pirate friend. “How did you find this place??”

Metalbeard sighed. “At the gatherin’, Caesar gave me the notes.”

Benny let out an annoyed groan. “Oh stars, _Caesar_. What’s the catch?”

“The catch be that he’s pitted a crew of _sky pirates_ against us,” Metalbeard growled. “Sky pirates! Tis unnatural!”

“Who’s Caesar?” Emmet asked, ducking as the cyborg flailed in irritation.

“A right pain in the bum,” Metalbeard complained.

“He has a bad habit of making up stories about lost treasure and getting everyone excited about going out to find it,” Benny explained, rolling his eyes. “Goes over _real_ well with the other pirate captains, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

“Which is why I’m surprised _this_ particular tall tale actually produced evidence,” Unikitty added. “What did you do to actually get him to tell you the truth?”

“Told _him_ the truth,” the cyborg said with a shrug. “That it be for helpin’ a friend in need.” Bad Cop shifted at that, looking embarrassed. “I was skeptical at first, the coordinates in his notes didn’t show land on any of me maps, but it was actually there.”

Unikitty grinned. “And people say _my_ curiosity is bad,” she teased. “Can I see the notes?”

Metalbeard stiffened at that. “I don’t have them.”

“What?”

“Did ye miss the bit about Caesar sendin’ sky pirates after me?” the cyborg growled. “I don’t have ‘em, cause they stole them.”

Benny stared. “You mean… Someone actually dared to raid _you_?”

“That’s exactly what I be sayin’!” Metalbeard practically exploded.

“But- but _how_?!”  
  
“They shot me with some kind of electric gun,” Metalbeard grumbled. “Stopped me functions for _hours_.” Unikitty made a sound of concern, and he gently brushed his hand over her fur. “I wasn’t hurt, lass, just very annoyed.”  
  
“An electric gun?” Business questioned.  
  
“Aye, ye know of it?”  
  
“Sounds like an EMP,” Bad Cop tossed out, and Business nodded.  
  
“I could try to figure out a way to better insulate you against it,” the former President offered.

“Ye can do that?”

“Well, I mean it might take me a while to get it right, considering all your moving parts, but… yeah. I can.”

“So what all was in those notes?” Emmet asked. “Are you going to need them to be able to find it again?”

“Nay, lad, I can find the island again easy enough,” Metalbeard assured. “But there be more to the notes than just directions. Caesar spoke of trials, and the notes he gave me held clues to solve them.”

“Those sky pirates probably have such a massive head start on us now…” Lucy sighed.

“Don’t be too sure of that, lass,” Metalbeard snickered. “I doubt they know the seas even _half_ as well as me. And let me be tellin’ ye, it took me _all day_ to decipher Caesar’s scribblings enough to get a heading. It may well take them a week to make heads or tails of it.”

“Then we’re wasting time,” Bad Cop growled. “We should be making preparations to get those notes back.”  
  
“And how do ye expect to be catchin’ them again when me ship doesn’t fly?” Metalbeard pointed out.  
  
“Your ship doesn’t, but my car does.”  
  
“And I have my spaceship!” Benny added.  
  
“Are we going on an adventure?” Unikitty bounced. “I wanna go too!”  
  
“And me!” Emmet added, flinching away when Lucy gave him a look. “What! He’s my friend, I want to help!”  
  
“You mean count _us_ in too,” she said, smirking. Emmet smiled widely and hugged her.  
  
“I’d like to come as well,” Business added. By some miracle, he didn’t back down when Bad Cop turned an intense gaze onto him. “I mean, ancient relics and civilizations are kinda my hobby. I could help with translating stuff.”  
  
“…Alright,” Bad Cop relented, and Business let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.  
  
“Guess I best be making some renovations to me ship,” Metalbeard mused.  
  
“I’ll make arrangements for supplies, and so no one loses jobs or homes while we’re gone,” Business offered.  
  
“Oh you don’t have to do that-” Emmet started to protest.  
  
“But I want to,” Business insisted. “You’re my friends, and I take care of my friends.”  
  
Benny whooped and thrust his fists into the air. “We’re going on a high seas ADVENTURE!” he cheered.

~* *~

Despite the rush they all felt, it was still a week before preparations were completed. Arrangements were made for Frank the Foreman to take Emmet’s place overseeing the construction of the school. Emmet and Lucy did their best to help Business with making scans of his multitude of books and papers to copy to his laptop, and Unikitty searched for a suitable replacement to take over governing Bricksburg in his absence- possibly even permanently. Business himself called in the orders for supplies to be delivered to the docks, and what was left of his savings was set up to keep everyone’s apartments and utilities paid for until they returned. It went a long way toward soothing Benny’s still-lingering anger, to see the former President practically bending over backwards to ensure this quest to restore Good Cop went as smoothly as possible. Bad Cop himself didn’t seem to know what to do about this change in attitude.

Benny flew his small spaceship to the docks on the day of their departure, and whistled when he saw how the Sea Cow’s deck has been renovated to fit his and Bad Cop’s vehicles of choice. Emmet, Lucy, and Unikitty were already there, helping to load the provisions Business had supplied as promised. He touched the small craft down on the deck and hopped out, waving back to his friends with a grin. “Good morning!”

“Why don’t you come help us out?” Lucy called back.

“You betcha!” He floated over and touched one of the larger crates on its sides, and it drifted off the ground. Emmet watched in awe as he simply nudged it in the right direction.

“Gosh I wish I could do that…”

“I wish I could lift as much as you without having to do this,” Benny shot back. “But it is cool, isn’t it??”

Lucy kissed Emmet’s cheek. “Come on babe, we’re nearly done.”

A dark silver car pulled up then, a robot in the driver’s seat, and Business climbed out of the back, dragging with him a sizeable metal suitcase. The robot chauffeur retrieved a second suitcase from the trunk of the car, hauling it up onto the deck. “Oh sure, _now_ he shows up,” Lucy grumbled. Shortly after was the roar of thrusters. The three friends glanced over to make sure Benny was still standing beside them, then up at the sky in confusion. “Oh!” Lucy gasped upon realizing what it was, and Benny bounced excitedly on his toes.

“Oh, that is _so cool!_ ” the astronaut exclaimed.

“Is that Bad Cop’s new flying car?” Emmet asked, eyes round in awe. He watched as it hovered and slowly lowered onto the deck. “Well, guess that answers that.” He ran over to admire it and gush about how awesome it was. Lucy giggled and followed him, also admittedly impressed, now that they weren’t running from it.

“Oh good, we’re all here!” Business exclaimed as he climbed the gangplank, rolling suitcase in tow.

“Aye,” Metalbeard piped up, finally making an appearance from below deck. “We best be settin’ off now, everything’s loaded and ready to go. Benny, help me set the sails!”

“Aye aye, cap’n!” Benny gave a mock salute and floated up to untie the sails. The others worked on raising the gangplank and the anchor, and soon they were off, heading into open waters.


	9. High C's

Sirius was admittedly impressed with the level of automation on the Sea Cow; there was really very little for Metalbeard’s new “crew” to do to help. He wondered, briefly, why the pirate captain hadn’t hired a new crew after his ill-fated attack on Octan Tower. _Because he was too loyal to his old crew to replace them like that,_ he realized. _Or felt too guilty for leading them to their doom. Or both._ Which was kind of heartbreaking to think about, when he’d overheard some of Metalbeard’s old crew cursing him for getting them all caught, never mind that their fearless leader nearly lost his _life_ , let alone his freedom.

He paused in his admiration of the pirate’s ingenuity when he caught sight of Bad Cop speaking with Benny, Emmet and Lucy. “Bad Cop-!”

“Let’s get one thing straight,” Bad Cop cut him off, and _loomed_. Even the others looked wary at his sudden change in stance. “The only reason I am even remotely okay with being in such a confined space with you is because you promised to make yourself useful. So unless it has to do with the mission on hand, I don’t want you to speak to me, I don’t even want you anywhere _near_ me. Got that?”

In their past life, Sirius would have never tolerated such blatant disrespect, and even now he wanted to demand an apology for such rudeness. But the warning looks Benny and Lucy were giving him had him swallowing down his words hard and giving a single nod before abruptly turning and marching away. “Wow, Bad Cop, that was harsh,” he overheard Emmet admonish.

“Do I look like I care, Brickowski?”

“Apparently not,” the construction worker muttered sourly before trotting after the former President. “Look, Sirius, I’m sorry-”

“You don’t have to apologize on his behalf, Emmet,” he sighed. “It’s like you and Benny said; I screwed up and people have a right to be angry with me. Him especially.”

“But I know you’re trying…”

“And the only thing I can do is _keep_ trying and hope it convinces him I really am sincere. Look Emmet, I appreciate that you’re trying to help, I really do, but this is one thing you can’t fix. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some studying to do.” Emmet sighed, shoulders slumping as he watched Business retreat to the captain’s cabin.

The next four days passed rather uneventfully, and Business continued to make himself scarce (how he managed to keep it up for so long was baffling, he wasn’t exactly the type that enjoyed solitude). It was shortly before lunch time on the fourth day that they heard it- a rumble of engines, the thunder of propellers. Metalbeard adopted a sour look, much like the one he’d worn in the conference room, and Benny was quick to take note. “It’s them, isn’t it?”

“It’s them,” the captain grumbled back. Then there was the sound of another engine starting, and everyone’s attention turned to see Bad Cop’s car transforming and lifting off the deck.

“Oh no!” Benny yelped, scrambling after him.

“Where is he going?!” Lucy demanded, sprinting alongside the astronaut.

“The idiot’s gonna try to take them on himself!” He leapt into the cockpit of his ship, starting the engine. Lucy climbed in on the other side, strapping herself in. Benny barely spared her a glance, simply accepting she was coming along.

“Benny, wait for us-!” Unikitty cried, but to no avail. Benny was already taking off after his friend.

Business wandered out from his self-imposed exile to see what all the noise was about. “Well,” he stated, and Unikitty turned wide eyes to him. “They won’t know what hit them.” She let out a hysterical giggle and stared at the ship floating above the horizon.

~* *~

Flea kept the Sky Rogue on course, only halfway paying attention to his captain pacing the deck behind him. He chuckled softly to himself as she rambled; she was _excited_. The fact that they were so close- he could even see the island now!- only further brightened her mood. “Why don’t you give it a rest, Ames, you’re about to wear a hole right through the deck.”

“Are you seriously telling me to chill? _Now_ , when we’re so close?”

“Uh, _yeah_. Save your energy, Cap’, you might need it.”

“Captain!” the lookout shouted, and Airheart turned her attention up to him.

“Yes, Roberts?”

“Sails to the stern, Captain! It looks like the Sea Cow!”

Airheart frowned at that. “That can’t be right,” she muttered, taking out her spyglass. “There’s _no way_ he could have figured out Caesar’s nonsense before we got hold of those notes.” She joined Roberts to take a look for herself, just in time to see something black lift off the Sea Cow’s deck and head in their direction. That didn’t make any sense- nothing aboard Metalbeard’s ship hinted at the sea captain having anything high tech. Certainly nothing that should be _flying_. Flea came up behind her, looking utterly baffled. “Is that- is that a _flying car??_ ”

Before she knew it, the flying car had come to a screeching halt on the deck of her ship, a tall figure launching himself out, rolling office chair in hand. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!” Flea complained as he ran off to join the fight. Airheart could only stare stunned as the strange man made a beeline for her, taking out every crewman between them with that chair. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it-

A small spaceship landed moments later, and out leapt a young woman in black, who immediately joined the fighting, and a strange short man in blue, who was cackling excitedly and screaming “airship!!” He zipped through the chaos, feet never seeming to touch the deck, and he disappeared surprisingly quickly for wearing such bright colors. Flea took a chair leg to the head and went down with a crash, and Airheart finally shook herself from her stupor, drawing her pistol and aiming it at the man before her.

Though she couldn’t see his eyes behind his reflective sunglasses, she could still make out a look of intent, and he didn’t even hesitate at having a gun trained at his face, drawing his own only a split second later. The two of them stared each other down as the young woman in black continued to wipe out the remaining members of Airheart’s crew.

“You’re right between me and what I want,” the man growled, and she went cold. She _knew_ that voice from somewhere, where did she know it-?! “MOVE.”

Man Upstairs, it was _Bad Cop_ , she finally realized. “You know, for being a man of the law, you make a darn good pirate,” Airheart remarked, not moving a muscle and hoping her terror didn’t show.

“Lady-” he started to snarl, but then the ship gave a lurch and started to lose altitude. Smirking, he took advantage of her moment of shock, and shot her. She dropped like a sack of rocks, losing all feeling in her limbs, watching as he stalked right past her into the captain’s cabin. It took only a matter of seconds to find the crumpled papers that held the precious clues he needed, and pocket them.

“Are you quite done showing off?” Lucy called out in irritation as she climbed back into the spaceship, and he nodded back to her. He was soon rejoined on the deck by a far too gleeful Benny.

“You look quite pleased with yourself.”

“So do you.” Benny grinned, and raced for his spaceship. Bad Cop chuckled and followed him, the trio returning to the Sea Cow together. Behind them, the Sky Rogue hit the water with a great splash.

~* *~

Airheart laid there immobile for a few minutes, before her limbs finally stopped feeling like jello. She pushed herself upright, and glowered after the Sea Cow, vowing vengeance. “If that’s how you want to play, Metalbeard…” But first, she needed to make some repairs.

Airheart stumbled her way toward her crew, checking on them first. Some of them took some pretty serious blows, but no one seemed they would be suffering permanent damage; in fact, a few were returning to the land of the conscious already. She sighed when she came upon her first mate; the rusty, four-armed bot was twitching and sparking. “Lovely,” she muttered, hooking her arms under his and dragging him down to her workshop to make repairs. It didn’t take long to get him back in working order. “Flea, you dead?”

“Yeah… Ow…” the robot complained, blinking at her as his optics refocused. “That guy has quite a swing!”

“Tell me about it. His buddy did a real number on the engines too, think you’re up for helping me get everything put back together?” In answer, he grabbed up her toolbox.

Airheart made her way below deck and took in the damage the strange man had caused. Well, she certainly wouldn’t be underestimating him again, that was for sure- it would be a while before she had the engines fixed, even with help. As she took notes on the damage before beginning repairs, she idly wondered what other surprises the cyborg captain had in store for her.

~* *~

“That didn’t take long,” Metalbeard remarked upon their return.

Lucy shrugged. “Well, between me and Bad Cop kicking butt and Benny wrecking their engines, they really didn’t stand much of a chance.”

“Told you,” Business told Unikitty, looking smug.

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Metalbeard, it was amazing!” Benny babbled. “It’s remarkable how they designed their engines to combat gravity without needing to be at a certain velocity!”

“Yer not thinkin’ of experimentin’ on me ship now, are ye?” the captain asked warily. Benny waved off his concern.

“Nah, she’s _your_ ship, if you don’t want me to I won’t.”

“So did you get the notes?” Unikitty asked.

“Of course we did,” Bad Cop answered, retrieving the papers from his pocket.

“Hurray!” Unikitty cheered.

“Let’s have a look!” Business added eagerly. They convened in the cabin, where Emmet had just finished setting up lunch. “Oh good, can’t think on an empty stomach.”

“Looks good as always, babe,” Lucy complimented, and pecked Emmet’s cheek.

“You got the notes back?” he asked.

“Right here.” Bad Cop spread them out on the table as everyone sat down. The notes were studied and passed around in silence as they ate.

“Almost looks like some sort of plumbing diagram,” Emmet remarked after they made the rounds.

“Aye, there were a lot of pipes there.” Emmet gestured for the papers to be passed back to him, and spread them out on the table.

“It looks like he gave us the solution to part of it already,” he remarked, arranging the three sheets so the sketches on them lined up. “I’m just guessing, but it looks like we’ll have to find the ‘source’, get it running, and then direct the power to some point in the temple.”

“I recognize some of these symbols too,” Unikitty said. “Those are some of the oldest symbols in arcane theory, so whatever this source is, it must power something of magical nature.” Her eyes went wide, and she bounced in excitement. “Guys!! Do you have any idea what this might mean?! There’s only _one_ ancient culture that excelled in both technology _and_ magic! This might very well lead us to Atlantis!”

“Them sky pirates seemed pretty convinced of it,” Metalbeard confirmed. “I didn’t want to put any stock in that belief til I had a second opinion.”

“Well it is my _expert_ opinion that that’s exactly what this is!”

“You’re really, absolutely sure?” Business asked, starting to get just as excited as the princess. When she gave a wide grin and a nod, he nearly leapt out of his seat, unable to contain himself. “As long as I’ve been hunting down relics, I never thought I’d actually get to be part of an expedition that would discover the greatest lost civilization ever!”

“Let’s just not forget what our _actual_ goal is,” Bad Cop reminded him, and he hunched, shoulders almost to his ears.

“Right.” Business abruptly stood, excusing himself and leaving the cabin. Emmet resisted the urge to heave a sigh and scrub his hands over his face in frustration.

“I still think you’re being unreasonably harsh.”

“And I still don’t care.”

“We all got over what you did to us!”

Bad Cop glowered at him. “Hunting down Master Builders was just our job, Emmet. What Business did to us was _personal_.”

Emmet frowned back at him. “I dunno, you trying to kill me felt pretty personal too.” Lucy pressed a hand to her mouth, holding back a snort. Bad Cop snarled and stormed out of the cabin, and Unikitty started giggling.

“Oh snap, Emmet grew a backbone!”

Lucy felt him trembling next to her, and kissed his cheek. “He’s just sore cause you made a point he couldn't argue with, babe, he’ll get over it.” As the others snickered, Benny remained silent, staring thoughtfully at the door.

Emmet _did_ have an excellent point.


	10. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter, everyone. :)

Benny made his way below deck to search for Business as the others gathered to watch the island approach, stopping at his and Emmet’s shared cabin. The door was cracked, and he nudged it the rest of the way open. Sure enough, the man in question was sitting at the desk Metalbeard had so thoughtfully provided him, staring listlessly at his laptop. “Hey… Sirius?” He startled and looked over, snatching the glasses off his face and trying to hide them.

Business scowled at him when he realized who it was. “Come to give me more grief for what happened up there?”

“Actually no, I was wondering if you’d like to come up and get some sun with us.” Benny gave him a lopsided grin. “You’re getting kinda pasty, hiding so much.”

Business stared at him. Benny was teasing him.

…Benny was _teasing him_.

“What happened after I left, to make you change your mind?”

“Emmet happened,” the astronaut admitted, looking sheepish.

Business huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, that’ll do it,” he chuckled. “Alright, I’ll come.”

“Yes!” Benny cheered, floating upward. “By the way, don’t hide your glasses, man, they’re cute.”

Business spluttered at that. “Are you- are you _hitting on_ me?”

“Nope!” the astronaut chirped. “Just stating fact!”

He blushed. “I thought they just made me look old…”

“Dude, you _are_ old.” Benny grinned at him, and he gave the astronaut a sour look.

“Gee, thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome!” Benny snickered. Business huffed at him, but smiled to himself once Benny’s back was turned. It looked like things would turn out okay after all.

Once they were safely ashore, Metalbeard led the way through the dense foliage. It was a surprisingly short walk, barely even half an hour from the beach to the crumbling temple. “That was fast,” Emmet remarked.

“Aye, tis not a very large island,” Metalbeard agreed. Business was grinning ear to ear as he pulled out his tablet to start taking pictures.

“What’s with the torches?” Emmet asked as they walked inside.

“What?” Metalbeard looked around, blinking to see six lit now. “There was only one alight when I visited, how…?”

“Magic,” Unikitty said as she passed. “I can feel it. I don’t know what the significance of it is yet, though.” Bad Cop froze suddenly in the entryway. Emmet was at his side in an instant, catching him before he could topple over.

“Bad Cop?!” He didn’t answer, merely resting his head on Emmet’s shoulder.

“Again?” Benny questioned.

“That one hit me out of nowhere…” the officer mumbled.

“Maybe it’s a reaction from the magic in here?” Unikitty suggested. “I mean, I’ve been paying attention, and it usually only seems to happen when you’re emotionally stressed, but you were perfectly relaxed until you stepped in here so it’s the only thing I can think of.”

“…I didn’t even notice,” Bad Cop said, giving her a curious look. Feeling steady again, he straightened up. “You can let go now, Emmet.”

“Sorry…”

“I think I found the source!” Business called from some distance away, poking his head back into the main chamber. He blinked to see everyone crowding Bad Cop. “Did I miss something?”

“Nothing that concerns you,” Bad Cop answered. Emmet trotted off in Business’ direction, eager to get a look, and Benny wasn’t far behind him.

Lucy made her way over to the mess of pipework, calling over her shoulder. “Metalbeard, Unikitty, you guys wanna help me get a head start on figuring this part out?”

“Sure thing, lass,” the pirate agreed, following her over. Bad Cop strolled along behind them, watching as the Master Builders took stock of the puzzle before them. Parts were missing, scattered on the floor, either deliberately removed or simply fallen apart with age. Bad Cop watched as they deliberated, debating over what piece went where, before wandering off further down the wall.

The others didn’t seem to take any notice of him as he began replacing parts as well, then took a step back to get a better look at how everything connected. The Master Builders were getting it all put back together quickly enough, but would they be able to solve the puzzle once they got the power source running?

A rumble and a hiss told him that apparently Emmet and Benny got it figured out. Unikitty cheered, bouncing. “Yay! Let’s do this!” Benny zipped back into the main chamber, slowing as he reached Bad Cop’s side.

“That was a little more complicated than we were expecting,” he remarked, watching as Emmet bounced over to kiss Lucy’s cheek. She smiled and took his hand, squeezing it. “How far did you guys get?”

“Well, I think we got it all put back together, at least. And I think that’s the door we need to open.” Benny peered around him in the direction he was pointing.

“Whoa, those are some _seriously_ beefy locks.”

“Probably what all this is meant to open,” Business suggested, gesturing to the maze of pipes around the room. “Let’s see, six locks, so we’ll have to direct the water to…” He trailed off, following the pipes back from the door. “Those six toggles,” he eventually pointed out. “ _And_ to that pipe going inside.”

“Still, though, this is like, _your_ level of paranoid overkill. Why such overbearing security measures?” Benny asked.

“Atlantis was the most advanced civilization of their time- possibly even ever,” Business explained. “ _Everybody_ wanted their stuff, so they had to think of ever more inventive ways of keeping it out of the wrong hands.”

“And not just their technology, but their magic too,” Unikitty piped up. “A lot of people were trying to learn their secrets, not to make the world a better place, but for their own gain, which the Atlanteans were Not Okay with. So like Busy said, they wanted to make sure only the people who were worthy would be able to pass their tests and share it with the world.”

“So- _we’re_ worthy?” Emmet asked, wide-eyed.

“We’re about to find out, lad,” Metalbeard answered. Benny floated upward to turn knobs and open valves, redirecting the water flow under Business’ guidance.

“You seem to have a lot of experience with this sort of thing,” Lucy commented.

“Yes, well, it’s not like any of the artifacts in my relic chamber could be just _bought_ , they hadn’t even been discovered yet,” was Business’ indignant response. “So no, this isn’t my first expedition.” He scuffed his shoes against the sandy floor. “But it _has_ been a long time since my last one.”

“When was the last one you went on?” she continued, now curious. He gave her a rueful grin.

“Oh… Almost nine years, now?”

He could see she was doing the math in her head. _Ah, and_ there’s _the realization_. “You mean the Kragle.” He nodded. She was silent for a while. He wouldn’t blame her if it was still a sore point; he’d blinded and nearly _killed_ her father figure that day. But the next words out of her mouth surprised him. “But you did all the research and planning and preparations yourself, right?”

“I did.”

“That’s actually really impressive. I… I honestly never would have guessed that you did all that because you like _history_ so much, I just figured it was because you had that evil overlord thing going on and they all looked like torture devices. It’s really reassuring to know that, under all that bravado, you’re still just a person like the rest of us.”

“Guys I got it!” Benny interrupted before Business could respond to that. There was a hissing of hydraulics as the latches holding the door shut released, and the massive stone door slowly slid aside to permit them entry. Unikitty was the first to tear through the open doorway, squealing in excitement.

“Unikitty, wait for me!” Benny yelped, scrambling after her. “Whoa…” Business was the next to follow through, and almost immediately began taking photos again.

 “Wow, what is all this?” Emmet asked, looking around at the shimmering script that scrolled down the walls. “Sirius, can you read any of it?”

“Not yet,” Business murmured. “I do recognize that most of it is letters, but some of these symbols I’m _not_ familiar with.”

“More arcane formulas,” Unikitty explained. “Could I get some pictures of those too, please?”

“Sure.”

“Methinks I found something,” Metalbeard called out, getting everyone’s attention again.

“What is it?” Lucy tilted her head, trying to figure it out.

“Looks like a generator of some sort,” Bad Cop said. “That last pipe leads straight to it. Metalbeard, try turning it on.” Unikitty gasped when he did.

“Oh my… definitely a generator- a _magic_ generator!” She quickly glanced over to check on Bad Cop, but he seemed unfazed this time.

“What’s it powering?” Benny asked.

“That’s just it, I don’t know…” the unicorned cat murmured, staring thoughtfully into space as she reached out with her senses. “The magic feels like it’s… spreading? No, that’s not quite right. Like it’s being channeled somewhere.” She looked off in the direction she could feel it going.

“Wonder what it’s powering,” Lucy mused. “I think it’s safe to assume it’s nothing on this island?” Unikitty nodded.

“I’m sure we’ll be finding out soon enough,” Bad Cop said. They glanced back down to the generator as something on it clicked and dropped open. Lucy crouched down to retrieve the small object hidden inside, and brought it out for the others to see.

 “It kind of looks like someone got creative while crossing a key with a flash drive,” Emmet commented. “Wonder what it’s for.”

 “It’s pretty,” Unikitty cooed. “All the blue and silver- oh, I get it! A ‘water’ design for a water temple!”

 “Unikitty, can you get her a chain for that?” Benny asked. “That way she can wear it like a necklace- it’s got an unusual enough design it could be mistaken for a pendant, if those sky pirates catch up with us, and hopefully they’ll leave it alone.”

 “Oh, good thinking!” Unikitty’s horn sparkled and a delicate silver chain dropped into Lucy’s open palm. She slipped the small device onto it, and Emmet helped her put it on.

Business paused in his picture-taking as Metalbeard walked past him, seeming distracted by the strange shapes covering one of the walls. “What is it?” he asked.

“Somethin’ about it seems familiar…” the pirate mused. He touched his fingers to the wall, tracing over the alien shapes, when it suddenly clicked and his one good eye widened. “Well shiver me timbers! It be a map!”

“A map? You’re sure?” Business questioned.

“Of course I be sure!” the pirate bellowed back. “Ye doubt yer captain?”

“But where does it lead?”

“I’ll need to compare it to me own charts, tis but a partial map.” He glanced down at the tablet Business still held. “Ye think yer fancy machine there can make that photo bigger?”

“Do I _think_ I can make it bigger?” Business sniffed, indignant. “Please, do you know who you’re speaking to?” Benny snickered, grinning at their banter. Metalbeard let out a hearty guffaw.

“Alright then, back to the ship!”

“Wait,” Bad Cop said, halting the others in their tracks. “We should at least reset the locks before we leave, no sense in making it easier for those sky pirates to catch up to us if they find this place.”

“Point,” Lucy conceded. “Should we shut off the generator and pumps as well?”

“No,” Unikitty said, shaking her head. “I have a feeling that generator is important, somehow. I’m not happy we’ll have to leave that part solved, but it might be integral to wherever it is we’re going next.” Benny gave a nod and reversed the solution, adding a few other changes to throw them off even more.

It didn’t take them long to journey back to the shore, and upon boarding the ship once more, Business went straight for his suitcase. He hauled it up to the captain’s cabin, and with Benny’s help, managed to create a projector to connect to his tablet. Well, more like he read the instructions to Benny, and watched in fascination as the Master Builder put it together in record time. “What do you think, does it look right?”

“I think so. Only one way to find out if it actually works.”

Metalbeard already had nearly every map he owned spread out on the table when they were done. Benny perched himself on one of the pirate’s shoulders like a big blue parrot. Finally, Business connected his tablet to the projector, tapped the screen several times, then flicked it on. Metalbeard leaned forward, frowning slightly. “Ah,” he said after a moment, and grabbed a sheet of canvas to attach to the wall. The picture showed up more clearly. “Much better.” He scrutinized it for a few long minutes before returning to his maps, sifting through them for one in particular.

“You know where it is?” Benny asked.

“I have an idea,” Metalbeard muttered in response, finally grabbing one aged, faded parchment, and holding it up next to the projection.

“Geez, how old is that thing?” Business asked, taking in its tattered edges.

“Centuries,” the captain answered. “Had this one for a long time, never had a reason to use it til now. No one’s sailed these waters in a very long time.” He glanced back at the two men. “One of the first things ye learn, bein’ a pirate, is to stay away from cursed waters.”

“Pirates are a very superstitious lot,” Benny stage whispered, and Business snickered. “Luckily Metalbeard’s not as bad about them as some other pirates I’ve met.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s considered bad luck to bring a woman aboard,” he counted off one finger, and Business chuckled. That rule was definitely broken, with the presence of both Lucy and Unikitty. He ticked off another finger. “Also, gingers are to be avoided.”

Business quirked an eyebrow at him. “But aren’t you a redhead?”

“Aye, and a better first mate, a pirate’s never had,” Metalbeard interrupted. “And Lucy and Unikitty are smart, resourceful lasses, tis folly _not_ to be havin’ them aboard.”

“Didn’t your last crew have several women in it, too?” Business mused.

“Aye,” Metalbeard agreed. “Me point bein’, tis beyond me why some think a woman aboard is bad luck. More often than not, they’ve saved me neck. And the lads can be just as distractin’ as the lasses, in their own ways.” He turned pointedly to Benny, who responded with a look of wide-eyed innocence. “I be lookin’ at _you_ , Benjamin Blue.”

“Aww, come on man, that was _one_ time,” Benny whined.

“What did you do??” Business asked, curious.

“About started a prank war, he did.” Benny grinned unrepentantly. “Thought we needed a ‘morale boost’ after we nearly failed to escape the Super Secret Police.”

“Well everybody _was_ pretty sulky after that raid on Pirate’s Cove…” Business snickered, listening to the two friends banter, even despite the topic. That they could joke about it so easily told him they’d moved past it, and he could relax in their presence. Silence fell over them once more as Metalbeard returned to his maps, but it was comfortable silence. A thought occurred to him then.

“So how is it that an _astronaut_ becomes a _pirate’s_ first mate?”

“Our professions aren’t really all that different, if you think about it,” Benny answered. “Just that Metalbeard sails the seas, and I sail the stars- that’s even what ‘astronaut’ means, you know?  ‘Star sailor’. And a lot of the knowledge I gained studying to be an astronaut translates surprisingly well. I mean, ignoring all the high-tech stuff astronauts do.”

“But how did you two meet?”

“Perhaps that be a story for another time,” Metalbeard said. Benny nodded.

“It’s kind of a long one and even as fun as it is, I’d prefer to tell everyone at once. Well,” he snickered, “Bad Cop already knows part of it. But somehow I get the feeling he wouldn’t have told you the details of _that_ particular adventure.” He started giggling in earnest then.

“Now I _really_ want to know,” Business pouted.

“Either the two of ye shush, or scram, ye be distractin’,” Metalbeard scolded.

“Sorry!”

“Sorry.”

“I’ve almost got it…” Metalbeard grabbed a pencil, making faint marks on the map. “There!”

“Where?” Benny floated over to look over his shoulder.

“The next site be in the middle of a desert, it looks like. Let’s be off!”


	11. Never Let Me Down Again

It had been several days since they set off from the island. It was late enough that even Benny had gone to bed, though Metalbeard presumably was still awake and up on the deck. Bad Cop woke suddenly in a cold sweat, a scream stuck in his throat. He shakily reached for the bedside lamp and clicked it on, pushing himself to sit on the edge of the mattress, and dropped his head into his hands. That one had been particularly bad; it was getting to a point where it was no longer just memories, but his brain going “what if?” and making it even more horrific. He sighed and rubbed at his face. It was going to be a long while before his mind settled back down enough to allow him to sleep.

A sound from the bunk above him caught his attention. Benny was tossing and turning in his bed, mumbling and whimpering. Bad Cop frowned to himself and stood to check on his friend and cabin mate, when Benny suddenly screamed and started thrashing, startling the officer into jumping back to avoid a swinging arm. Seemed he wasn’t the only one to have nightmares. “Ben!” he barked, reaching to shake the spaceman’s shoulder. Benny jolted awake, and terrified brown eyes locked onto blue. He calmed as recognition sank in, and he realized the lamp was on. And there were bags under Bad Cop’s eyes. Benny blinked as he realized that Bad Cop looked almost as shook up as he was, though a little closer to calming down now that he had something else to focus on. “You alright?” Bad Cop asked.

“I should ask you the same thing,” Benny mumbled, untangling himself from his sheets. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The corners of Bad Cop’s mouth quirked upward ever so slightly. “Something like that. Good Cop’s residual memories have been bleeding into my own for some time now, but now my imagination has decided to get involved as well. What about you?”

“Something along the same lines.” Benny sighed and sat up. “I’m mostly over it, but sometimes it still sneaks up on me…” He gave Bad Cop a pleading look. “Can we go sit on the deck? I just… I need to see the stars, and get out of this cabin. I feel a little claustrophobic.”

“Sure, Ben. I could do with some fresh air myself.” He stepped back to let the astronaut make his own shaky way down, and together they made their way up to the deck. Benny waved to Metalbeard as he went straight for his spaceship. Bad Cop only shook his head, somehow not surprised, as the astronaut climbed in. “What happened to feeling claustrophobic?”

“I’m not going anywhere, I’m in no condition to fly right now,” Benny chuckled mirthlessly. “Just more comfortable, is all.” He tilted his head toward the passenger seat. “Care to join me? I mean I know it’s not warm milk and a comfy sofa, but it’s the next best thing I can think of.” Bad Cop shrugged and hopped in next to him. The canopy remained open, letting the warm breeze pass through.

“So what’s your story?” he asked after several minutes of silence.

Benny swallowed hard. “I had an accident in space,” he answered. “It was… a long time ago, really, you were maybe just a kid when it happened. Feels like it was only five years ago to me, though.”

Bad Cop remembered what Benny had said, about being in stasis for around twenty years, and nodded. Out of curiosity, he did the math, and his eyes went wide. “I actually remember hearing about that, everyone at school was talking about it. That was _your_ ship?”

“Yup.” Benny’s gaze was trained resolutely on the sky. “My pod floated around the ocean for a while then washed up on the shore of some uncharted island, just a little place that would have been hardly more than a speck on a map anyway. Metalbeard found me and revived me, and they took me to Cape Space, figured their hospitals would be the best for me. They declared me mentally unfit to return to space, when I recovered,” Benny finished with a shrug. “But by then it didn’t matter anyway cause we’d discovered I was a Master Builder so I had to go underground, so to speak.”

“That first time I nearly caught you,” Bad Cop remembered. Benny nodded. “Do you remember what caused the accident?”

“No… And I’m not sure how much of it is repressed memory, and how much of it’s actually just _gone_. Cause sometimes, I think, in my dreams… I’m reliving what happened, but it’s always gone as soon as I wake up again.”

“Is that part of why you were declared mentally unfit?” Benny winced. “You _can_ tell me to bugger off if my questions make you uncomfortable, Ben…”

“It’s just… still a touchy subject for me, ya know? I worked _so hard_ to be able to go into space, and I wound up washed up at a mere twenty-six… I think that was only my second trip.” His gaze dropped, and he picked at the hem of his t-shirt. “You’ve noticed my helmet is cracked, right?”

“I have.”

“Oxygen deprivation.” Benny hugged himself. “Didn’t affect just my memory. I don’t always smile simply because I’m in a good mood, you know? It just… comes. So I hide it behind humor, so people don’t see how _loopy_ I really am.”  He smiled sheepishly. “Kinda hard to hide the spaceship obsession, though.” His fingers twitched even as he said it, as though suddenly gaining an itch to build one.

Bad Cop stared him down. “Well you’re still one of the most capable people _I’ve_ ever met,” he finally decided upon after a minute of thought. “Not many Master Builders can say they’ve escaped me _three times_ , after all.” Benny started to perk up. “And they certainly didn’t stop you on Takos Tuesday, did they?”

“Well, no, they didn’t.” He smiled widely at Bad Cop. “It was fun, wasn’t it?”

Bad Cop simply raised an eyebrow and answered with, “you were driving like a maniac.” Benny cackled. Bad Cop settled contently back into his seat, glad he’d been able to lift Benny’s mood. It didn’t suit him, being so melancholy. After a moment, he had an idea. “You know,” he started, drawing Benny’s attention back to him, “I thought about studying astronomy for university, but I knew I would just be taking up space.”

Benny stared at him. “Did you just…”

“I’ve been reading a book about anti-gravity, it’s impossible to put down.” Benny worked his jaw, brain scrambling for a response, but nothing came out. Bad Cop slowly started to grin. “One morning I got up around five and wondered ‘where did the sun go?’ and then it dawned on me.” Benny squeaked. “An astronaut broke the law of gravity and got a suspended sentence.” He giggled. “An astronaut wrote about flying to the moon twice. It was double-spaced. Benny, a space cowboy- ‘what in starnation?’”

“Dude, stop, that’s _awful!_ ” Benny wheezed, swatting at him for the last one, and Bad Cop started laughing. Benny’s stomach did a weird little flip at the sound, and he realized this was the first time he’d ever heard his cop friend laugh- a real, _proper_ laugh, not one of his snorts of amusement. It was also the first time he’d heard any of the puns Bad Cop was supposed to be notorious for. Before he could even begin to ponder what that meant, he realized Bad Cop had caught his wrist, and was now frowning slightly.

“Your pulse is still racing, Ben,” he murmured. “Just how bad was that nightmare?”

Benny blinked, then shuddered. “Man, did you _have_ to remind me…” he complained. “I’d _just_ forgotten about it completely.”

“Oh…” Bad Cop released him. “Sorry, that was stupid of me…”

Benny heaved a sigh. “No, it’s fine. I’m okay now, really. In fact, I think I’m ready to go back to bed.” He hauled himself over the side of the spaceship, floating back down onto the deck. A shuffling sound told him Bad Cop was climbing out as well. Trying not to think about his nightmare or anything that had transpired within the last few minutes, he headed below deck and raised a hand to knock on the girls’ door.

“What are you doing?” Bad Cop interrupted before he could make contact, and he jumped.

“Oh, uh… Unikitty usually lets me cuddle with her after one of my nightmares,” he explained, somewhat sheepishly. “It helps, having someone right there to keep me grounded. Otherwise they have a tendency to make a repeat performance.”

“Don’t wake the girls,” Bad Cop told him. “There’s enough room in all these bunks for two.”

“Um. Okay?”

“Just… consider it repayment for letting me fall asleep on you that one time.”

Benny gave a weak snicker. “Sure it’s not cause _you_ need some reassurance-snuggles too?”

“Shut up, Ben.”

“Just sayin’. I mean I get it, you got a grumpy, tough guy reputation to uphold. _I_ don’t have to worry about that, mine got shot to pieces ages ago.” He floated up, draping his arms over Bad Cop’s shoulders in a loose hug. “Thanks, though. I don’t care what the others say, you’re actually a really good friend.”

“…Thank you, Ben.”

“Even if you are a major dork. Officer pun-master.”

“… _Thank you_ , Ben…” Benny grinned and released him, floating into the room as Bad Cop pushed the door open. He grabbed his pillow and dove into the bottom bunk, wriggling under the covers as Bad Cop closed the door once more.

“Sleepover, sleepover~” he sang, bouncing on the mattress. Bad Cop gave him a weary look.

“What are you, six?” Benny snickered. “Scoot over.” He did just that, and as soon as Bad Cop had stretched out on his back Benny was on him like a barnacle, curled up against his side with his head resting on his chest. “What are you doing?!”

“Shush, heartbeats are soothing…”

“It’s too warm for this, Ben…”

“Shhhh. Sleeping now.” Bad Cop gave up with a sigh, closing his eyes to try to get some sleep himself.

…It actually was really reassuring to have someone else snuggled up close.


	12. Impossible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it seems to end on a weird note, this chapter really fought me, and the next probably will too. :/ No idea how long it will be before the next update.

Airheart had to hand it to Metalbeard and his new crew; they sure knew how to trash a place. Oh, she knew they’d solved the puzzle of the crumbling island temple, she could hear the water pump running, but they’d really done a thorough job of making it difficult for her to follow. They would have to rebuild the puzzle, and figure out the solution all over again. Curious, though, that they’d left a single torch burning. Was it meant to be a taunt? She wouldn’t put it past them, even if she didn’t understand what it meant.

She would have preferred to stay and study the place, but that option was no longer available to her. The race was on. She set a crew member to taking photographs of the place for later perusal, and set about putting the plumbing back together. Some clever jerk had even gone the extra mile to change how some of it connected and switched a few extra toggles, forcing her to take it apart and backtrack in some places, wasting even more time. Flea slowly backed away from her as she started to snarl in frustration. Oh, they would _get it_ for this.

It took some hours, but finally the massive locks on the door opened, allowing her entry. The sight that greeted her was nothing short of amazing. “Oh my,” she gasped, looking around in wonder. “Flea…”

“I’m seein’ it, Cap’,” he said, wrapping an arm around her for support when her knees threatened to give out. “Stevenson, get in here with that camera!”

“Yessir!”

“Man Upstairs, Flea, if this is just what the first temple is like…!” She moved away from him, pacing the room excitedly. “Atlantis will be more beautiful than _anyone_ could _ever_ imagine. Stevenson, don’t you dare miss a single symbol, there may be important clues for the next temple.” She approached the section of the wall that held something other than what was clearly script, tapping her lip as she puzzled it out.

“Those look kinda like map symbols, don’t you think?” Flea commented, and her eyes went wide.

“Flea, I could kiss you. That’s _exactly_ what those are.” She smirked. “It shows the location of the next temple. We’ll be able to catch up with them!”

~* *~

Bad Cop was rather expecting Metalbeard to check on Benny the next morning, but the captain, circumspect as always, didn’t breathe a word of it, simply took in Benny’s general state of energy and cheer and nodded to himself, apparently satisfied that all was well again. It was almost scary, how normal _everyone_ was acting; he would have thought Benny’s screaming the night before would have woken at least one other person, but apparently not.

It was amusing to see Business utterly absorbed in his notes during breakfast that morning, a sight he hadn’t seen in _many_ years. It was nice, to see a bit of the old Sirius peeking through again, thought he still wasn’t ready to forgive his former employer. He probably wouldn’t until Good Cop was back, and maybe not even then.

Benny had made his way up to the crow’s nest after breakfast, eagerly keeping an eye out for the first sign of land. Bad Cop climbed up at one point to shove a canteen of water at him- if he was going to insist on wearing that space suit in the heat, Bad Cop would darn well make sure his friend at least stayed hydrated. “What’s this for?” the astronaut questioned.

“It’s _hot_ , Ben. How you’re not sweltering in that suit is beyond me.” Benny simply shrugged, but accepted the canteen anyway. He was just putting it to his lips to take a drink when he froze. “Ben?”

“LAND!!” the astronaut practically screamed, hanging over the side of the crow’s nest to point. Bad Cop had to physically stop himself from grabbing Benny to keep him from going over; even _knowing_ Benny could float wasn’t enough to stop reflex. Below them, Metalbeard howled with laughter as the rest of the crew ran to the railing to look in the direction Benny was pointing, eager for their first sight of solid ground in days.

“Bunch’a landlubbers,” the pirate snickered to himself. Benny launched himself over the side of the crow’s nest, floating down next to his best friend and smiling widely at him. Bad Cop hurriedly climbed back down to join the others.

“We’re approaching awfully fast,” Emmet noted. “Is that normal?”

“I don’t think so,” Bad Cop rumbled, looking unsure.

“It’s not!” Benny chirped cheerfully. They turned to give him a startled look.

“Then why aren’t we slowing down?” Lucy demanded.

“Watch and learn!” Metalbeard crowed, and swung himself over the side, eliciting several cries of shock. Emmet panicked as the beach rapidly approached, bracing himself for impact- until he heard the unmistakable sound of a Master Builder at work. Benny whooped in glee as he took the helm, slamming a lever forward, and the giant propellers at the stern of the ship hummed to life, keeping the Sea Cow’s forward momentum. There was a collection of screams and shouts as the ship hit the sand, and continued gliding right over it. Metalbeard swung himself back up onto the deck on the opposite side he’d gone over, and five sets of shocked gazes turned on him. Benny cackled at their stunned faces.

“Ye act like ye’ve never seen a Master Builder at work before,” Metalbeard teased.

“I thought we were gonna crash!” Business yelped, flailing madly.

“I’m honestly just shocked you were even willing to alter your ship like that,” Lucy said, a little more calmly, and Unikitty nodded her agreement.

“I be more adaptable than ye think, lass,” Metalbeard told her, and stumped away to take his place at the helm once more. Benny bounced down, grinning.

“Metalbeard’s style is _survival_ ,” the spaceman told them. “You don’t honestly think he could achieve that if he was set in his ways and unyielding, do you?”

“Well no, I guess not,” Lucy relented. “Still surprising though.” Emmet nodded vigorously, still clinging to her. “Well, how long until we reach the next trial?”

“About a day’s sailin’,” Metalbeard answered. “Little longer. I say we be there by sundown tomorrow.”

“This is so cool,” Unikitty giggled, peering over the railing to watch the shimmering sand dunes speed by. The pirate captain grinned.

“Thank ye, lass. T’was Benny’s idea, actually.”

She glanced up. “Really?”

The spaceman shrugged. “I just suggested it, _he’s_ the one who took the idea and ran with it. Same with the propellers.”

“Aye and those madcap ‘suggestions’ saved our necks more times than I can count,” Metalbeard countered. “Ye don’t give yerself enough credit, Benny.”

“Only when it’s spaceships,” Benny agreed, grinning.

“You guys have known each other a long time, haven’t you?” Emmet guessed.

“Of course we have! Benny’s me first mate, practically a brother to me.”

“Wonder what that’s like,” Emmet muttered. Lucy gave him a gentle squeeze, but no one else seemed to hear him.

The excitement of sailing on the sand was quick to fade; it proved to be the same monotony of sailing on the water, with nothing to see for miles. Benny turned a crank that changed the angle of the sails, setting them so they would provide shade for the deck. With the propellers running, they weren’t needed for forward momentum. The sun blazing over their heads was the real issue. As the sun began to set, the astronaut took the helm, shooing his pirate friend away to get some much-needed rest.

As promised, it was perhaps an hour before sunset the next day before they reached the next set of trials.

It looked to be another ancient temple built of stone, the architectural style the same as the first, though this one wasn’t falling apart. Business’ eyes were as wide as saucers as he tried to take it all in, jittery in his excitement. “It’s beautiful,” he breathed, and grabbed his tablet before he hurriedly disembarked. Everyone else was quick to follow, eager to be off the ship and back on solid ground.

“It’s also halfway buried,” Bad Cop pointed out.

“Nothing I can’t fix!” Unikitty chirped, her horn lighting up blue. “Cover your eyes!” They were quick to throw arms across their faces as a fierce wind kicked up and swirled like a tornado around the structure, quickly clearing the considerable amount of loose sand. It was flung outward and away from the temple. “All done!” Just like in the last temple, there were six torches lit, but the main chamber was larger and still intact, so their light didn’t reach as far. Metalbeard grabbed the case with the camp lights and hauled it inside for the others to set up. It was soon brightly lit.

The entire room was empty. No doors, no pipes, no carvings or holographic script, just smooth, blank walls and sand on the floor.

“Well what are we supposed to do with _this?_ ” Lucy complained, even as Benny made his third trip around the room, fingers searching for any hint of a crevice. “Sirius, was there anything from the last temple that gave any hints?”

“There’s supposed to be some machinery somewhere, I think…” He trailed off, giving Emmet a curious look. The construction worker had stopped in the middle of the room, staring at something on the floor. “What is it?”

Instead of answering, he knelt down and swept sand away from a crack in the floor; it was just big enough to wedge his fingers into. “I need a prybar!” he said suddenly.

“Did we even think to bring one?” Benny asked.

“I did,” Bad Cop answered, and took off to retrieve it. He came back several minutes later, dropping it into Emmet’s hands. Emmet wedged one end into the crack and pressed down on the other, levering it up. Lucy and Bad Cop rushed forward to grab the stone and slide it to the side, revealing a space underneath.

“Good eye, Emmet!” Metalbeard cheered. They shined their flashlights down, and were surprised to see metal shine back at them.

“I’ll go first,” Bad Cop said, clipping his flashlight to his belt before dropping himself down. He disappeared quickly, and was silent for several minutes.

“Well? What is it?” Unikitty called down.

“Machinery,” he yelled back. “Can’t tell for what, but it looks like it’s in need of repairs before it’ll do anything. Looks like all the parts might be here though, there’s a lot of scrap on the ground.”

 “Let’s see if we can’t get it put back together and get it running again. Maybe that’s the challenge,” Lucy suggested, then dropped herself down. Benny floated after her, followed by Emmet. “Unikitty, hand a couple of those lamps down here!”

“On it!”

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Lucy asked upon finding Bad Cop already sifting through the fallen pieces. He looked up at her, staring at her for a moment before returning to his work.

“Oh, believe me, he knows,” Benny snickered. “Did you know _he_ rebuilt his car himself?”

“He did?” She looked intrigued at the thought.

Benny nodded, refusing to say more on the matter. If she wanted to know, she’d have to ask Bad Cop. “Looks like we’re inside a giant clock,” he commented as two of the lamps were lowered. He shined his flashlight around. “Also looks like the foundation goes a lot further than the chamber above us. Maybe if we get this running, it’ll open a door up there?”

“Let’s hope so,” Emmet answered, getting to work. It took them nearly two hours to replace all the parts. Benny had wandered off near the end, and startled the other three with a sudden shout.

“What is it, Benny?” Lucy yelled back.

“Levers!” the astronaut replied, sounding almost giddy. “They’re probably what turns this machine on!” He yanked down the first one, and sure enough, a rumbling sound shook the entire building, and the gears groaned as they began to rotate. The noise was quick to rise to deafening levels, and the four of them raced back to the hole to escape it. Benny leapt up and cleared it easily, and Bad Cop gave Lucy and Emmet a hand out. He eyed the distance; normally he had a great vertical, but the exhaustion of sleepless nights was taking its toll on him, and he wasn’t certain he could climb out without a lot of difficulty. A blue gloved hand reached down, and he quirked an eyebrow at Benny.

“Not sure you can lift me out of here, Ben.”

Benny rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers. “Just _trust_ me.” Bad Cop sighed and took his hand, and was surprised to find himself so easily hauled back up with the others. Benny let go of his hand, and he felt gravity take effect on him once more. It was rather unsettling. “See?” the astronaut grinned. “It works on other people too!”

“We best be findin’ Business,” Metalbeard said. “He took off soon as that door opened up, no tellin’ what he’ll find.”

“Door?” Bad Cop looked over to where Metalbeard gestured, and sure enough, what they had thought was a section of the wall had slid away to reveal an opening. They could hear the faint scraping of stone sliding against stone somewhere further off, and wondered what it meant.


	13. Dust and Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, once upon a time I had ideas for how to write the temple in this chapter, but failed to write them down while I had them, and then they went *poof*. One did come back, so I would recommend going back to reread Chapter 9 so parts of this chapter make more sense. If I ever do remember the details of what I wanted to do, I will be coming back to rewrite that part of the chapter, but until then, here you go.

It had been quite a trick to get Business to leave the other room, nearly ending with Metalbeard physically hauling him out. He’d insisted on them letting him at least finish taking pictures first- the walls were covered with texts carved or painted onto them, and he was eager to translate them. “Why don’t ye give that brain of yers a rest?” the captain suggested, looking rather concerned.

“You seriously expect me to be able to _sleep_ when I have something _this fascinating_ to study??” Business protested. “What if there’s clues in here on the temple? I didn’t find much at the last one, you know.”

“…Ye’ve got two hours,” Metalbeard allowed.

“Would you mind doing it in the captain’s cabin?” Emmet asked. “I’m ready to crash.” He emphasized it with a yawn and a stretch.

“Sure,” Business agreed easily, and practically ran back onto the ship to get started.

“I’ll keep watch with you,” Bad Cop told the pirate.

“Ye sure about that, lad?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gone forty-eight hours or longer without sleep. I’m pretty well used to it. Besides, I don’t think I can sleep either, not with the threat of those sky pirates out there.”

Metalbeard waited until the rest of their friends had retreated to their cabins for the night before speaking again. “Avoidin’ sleep ain’t the way to go about fixin’ yer nightmare problem.”

“That’s not it,” Bad Cop sighed. “I just have a lot on my mind tonight. I promise.”

“Well, alright then…” Metalbeard didn’t speak again, picking up on his introspective mood, and decided to leave him be.

The dizzy spells were increasing in frequency, but with them were coming back vague bits and pieces of memories, so old he wasn’t certain of the reality of them, but something about his current situation just felt familiar. Like when he and Alastar were just toddlers, still trying to figure out how to switch out with each other. Dizziness had been common then, back when they hadn’t been quite strong enough mentally yet to manage it.

It was unnerving. Good Cop was still _gone_ , he could feel his twin’s absence clearly. So why did it feel like… he might have someone to share headspace with again…?

It was a terrifying, reckless, and _stupid_ idea, but he did it anyway. He closed his eyes and ‘reached’ back into his own mind, searching. **_Hello? Alastar, please tell me if that’s you…_**

_ …hI. _

He sucked in a sharp breath, going rigid. It was a good thing Metalbeard had wandered away some time ago; he could _not_ deal with the questions right now, he had too many of his own. Letting out a shaky breath he raked his fingers through his hair, trying to calm his rattled nerves.

He was going to have to speak with Lucy at some point the next day.

~* *~

Even with two of their toughest keeping watch for the night, between the anticipation of an attack and the excitement of exploring the new temple, no one rested easily. Everyone was up bright and early the next morning, even Benny. Business was still poring over the photos at the breakfast table, scribbling down translations as fast as he could decipher them. “What did you find out?” Benny asked, sitting next to him to peer at his notes.

“That machinery you guys repaired last night? That’s some pretty heavy-duty stuff- it looks like it might cause the _entire temple_ to shuffle and reform its layout, something like a giant Rubik’s cube.”

Emmet’s eyes went wide. “No way, that’s _awesome!_ ”

“I also found this.” He opened the photo gallery on his tablet and flicked it to a certain image.

“It just looks like the same carvings that were all over that room,” Lucy said. Wordlessly, Business zoomed in to reveal a cleverly hidden hole.

“It looks like a keyhole!” Unikitty exclaimed. “Maybe that’s what the Thing is for?”

Bad Cop sat at the end of the table, mug of coffee in hand, sipping at it as the others crowded around Business’ notes, only half paying attention to the conversation. “Hey,” Benny said suddenly and he jumped, because what the heck, wasn’t he _just_ at the other end of the table? The astronaut snickered. “I thought spacing out was _my_ thing,” he teased, and Bad Cop scowled at him. “Seriously though, you okay? You’re not falling asleep on us, are you?”

“I’m fine,” he grumbled.

“You don’t look fine,” Benny persisted. “In fact you look downright distracted.”

“It can wait, Ben.”

“Well, if you say so…”

“Look,” Bad Cop relented. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was concerned about those sky pirates catching up to us. Let’s just get this temple figured out, and then I’ll talk when we’re on our way to the next, alright?”

Benny grinned, floating upward. “Fair enough. Let’s go!”

Breakfast was hastily finished, and they hurried back into the temple. Lucy took off the chain with the key on it, sliding it in where Business pointed out. As soon as it was in place, something clicked, and she quickly yanked it back out as the door began to slide aside. Almost immediately the entire structure began to shudder, and they hurried through the opened door. Emmet nearly lost his footing when the floor gave a sudden lurch and the room started to slide. “Whoa!”

As soon as the temple settled again, another door opened, showing the way through. Business grinned. “Game on!” he shouted, and ran through the open doorway. The next room had three closed doors, each with a hole that matched Lucy’s key.

“Which one do we pick?” Unikitty asked.

“I don’t think it really matters,” Business answered. “From what I was able to translate, there is no wrong path, just different challenges.”

“Let’s open the one to the left then,” Lucy decided, and unlocked it. They continued on through the temple, every other room having a locked door or a building-related puzzle to solve. Every time they completed a challenge, the temple would reshuffle itself.

“I’m starting to wonder if this is a test of our patience as well,” Bad Cop grumbled. “How long have we been at this now? I lost count.”

“I be gettin’ the feeling we’re nearly done.”

“Guys, look! There it is!” Unikitty shouted as the last door slid open. “We reached the heart of the temple!”

“Oh thank goodness.” It was much like the sealed-off chamber in the first temple, nearly identical in its layout. Unikitty made straight for the magic generator to turn it on, as Business took photos of the script on the walls. She waited until the secret compartment popped open, revealing another key, this one made of stone and copper and rubies. She conjured another chain for it, and Lucy slipped the key onto it.

“You want to take this one, Unikitty?”

“Sure!” she chirped, and Lucy slipped it around her neck. Unikitty struck a pose, grinning, as Business turned his tablet in her direction to get a picture of the key. He chuckled as he turned it around to show her. “Ooh, that’s a _good_ one,” she preened.

Benny floated over when Metalbeard made a sound of frustration. “What is it?”

“These symbols! They’re not makin’ any sense to me! There ought to be a map here, I’ve no idea what _this_ nonsense be!”

The astronaut snickered. “Easy there, captain, we’ll figure it out.”

“I got a picture,” Business offered, holding up his tablet. “I think everyone’s a little frazzled from this gauntlet run right now, we can give it another look in the morning.” Lucy unlocked the door at the opposite side of the room, revealing a spiraling staircase back down to the main chamber. They had barely set foot outside of the temple when they were caught off guard by a sudden blast, and Metalbeard collapsed.

“Not again!” the cyborg captain howled in outrage.

The sky pirates descended en masse, half the crew holding the Master Builders at gunpoint while the other half searched them. Airheart smirked at them. “Fancy meeting you all here,” she drawled. Bad Cop’s fists were clenched, and Unikitty flashed scarlet. She barely managed to refrain from losing her temper; trashing robots was one thing, but she couldn’t afford to cause that kind of damage to living people. “No chair this time, Bad Cop?”

“No one invited you,” Benny growled. “Get lost.”

“Oh we will, just as soon as we have what we came for. Ah! My, those are nice necklaces you have there, ladies. Hope you don’t mind me helping myself.”

Lucy assumed a defensive pose, to a chorus of guns clicking. “We’d mind quite a bit.” Just as she wound up to strike, a shot fired near her foot, and she froze. Those weren’t the lasers that Bad Cop used, that just hurt a lot if one hit you. Those were actual _bullets_. Airheart smirked at her.

“Now you’re getting the picture,” she said, and snatched the chain from around Lucy’s neck. Unikitty’s was next, and she plucked Business’ tablet from his hands as well, despite his protests. “Thanks for the gifts, darlings, we’ll put them to good use!” She blew them a kiss before once more boarding the Sky Rogue, her crew keeping their guns trained on the Master Builders as they followed.

As soon as they were clear, Unikitty screamed in rage, kicking up sand and stone in her fury. Bad Cop made a beeline for his car, and let out a wordless snarl when it wouldn’t start. Benny pouted when his spaceship yielded the same results. There was no chance of pursuit that time.

Emmet watched helplessly as Benny and Metalbeard sulked, and Bad Cop kicked his chair across the deck. “…What should we do now?”

“Nothin’ we _can_ do but wait,” Metalbeard grumbled. Emmet helped Benny and Bad Cop get Metalbeard seated upright. “Smart lass, using that electro-magnet thing to slow us down rather than an actual _cannon_.”

“She must know we’re Master Builders,” Lucy guessed. “She would have guessed we’d have the holes patched up quickly enough.”

“My spaceship…” Benny whined, and Bad Cop grumbled in agreement.

“Oh, ease up you two, I’ve got plenty of spare parts to repair them both,” Business waved them off. “I kept them in my EMP-proof case, after Metalbeard mentioned her using it that first time, I thought she might favor that weapon and took precautions.”

“And what good will that do in getting us that tablet back?” Bad Cop snapped. “By the time we’re done, she’ll be long gone!”

“It really is a good thing I was the _last_ one out of the temple.” Business gave him a smug smirk as he slipped his smart phone from his pocket, flipping it up for Bad Cop to see. “The miracle of technology. I have them synched.” He brought up the picture of Unikitty with the key and shoved the device at his former henchman. Bad Cop instinctively grasped it, blinking at it.

“What good is a _picture_ of the key going to do?” he growled after a moment.

“Uh, we’re surrounded by _Master Builders_. Masters of matter manipulation and creativity? They can just make a replica of it. _Duh_.”

Said Master Builders stared at him in something rather like awe. “That’s… that’s brilliant, actually,” Lucy said.

Business snorted at that. “I _told_ you this isn’t my first rodeo.”

Bad Cop was silent for a long moment as the idea sank in. He handed the phone back with a soft “thank you, Sir.” Business stared; it was the most civil and respectful the cop had been toward him since Takos Tuesday.

Benny, having perked up at the news that his spaceship could be easily repaired, floated over to put a hand on Bad Cop’s shoulder. “You know, you’ve been awfully tense today, are you alright?” Bad Cop pointedly stared at Business, and Business promptly made himself scarce, muttering something going to grab his case to get started on those repairs. “Come on man, you promised you’d tell me when we were done with the temple,” Benny reminded him.

“I did, didn’t I,” Bad Cop sighed. “Alright, but let’s grab Lucy first, I’ll need her help to get this sorted out.”

The astronaut looked confused. “Why Lucy?”

“You think I didn’t do my research on you Master Builders?” Bad Cop rolled his eyes. “Vitruvius was a master at delving into mindspaces. Lucy was his best student.”

“Ohh, I see.” Benny frowned. “Wait, you need her to go mindspace-diving?” The frown quickly melted into a look of astonishment. “OH! Does that mean Good Cop’s making a comeback?!” He bounced eagerly.

“…No.”

“What?”

“Lucy first, Ben.”

“Ohh, alright…”


	14. Running Up That Hill

“What’s going on?” Lucy asked as they pulled her aside. She didn’t seem happy to leave her conversation with Emmet.

“Bad Cop needs your help with something mindspace-related,” Benny opened. She gave the cop an expectant look, waiting for him to speak.

“There’s someone else in my head, and it’s not Alastar,” he stated bluntly.

Lucy tilted her head at him, confused and cautious but also a little intrigued. “And what exactly will I be doing?”

“The only way I’m able to get into my own mindspace would be to switch out,” he explained. “If I do that though, that puts whatever is in my head right now in control. One, that would defeat the purpose of venturing into there to see what it is, because then it _wouldn’t_ be there. Two, _I don’t know what it is_ , and I _really_ don’t like the thought of it running around in my body causing who knows what sort of trouble. Three… I don’t know if I would even be able to switch back in if I tried that. Consider yourself insurance that I’ll be able to make it back.”

She huffed at him. “Fine. Come on, we’re going to your cabin.”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll be easier to get into your head if you’re feeling more at ease. If you’re tense, like you really look like you are right now, it’ll just cause problems. Benny, you’re coming too.”

“What?!” the astronaut yelped. “Why me?”

“Because Vitruvius was the only person skilled enough to go delving into people’s mindspaces alone. I am _not_ Vitruvius, and I am _not_ risking my sanity, or Bad Cop’s. Besides, he trusts you, and maybe that’ll help with my ‘intrusion’.”

Bad Cop looked at Benny and shrugged. “I’m not about to argue with that.”

“Well, alright then…”

“Are _you_ not comfortable with, Benny?”

“I’ve never done it before. It just seems kinda… risky, to me.”

Lucy gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I _do_ know what I’m doing. I doubt anything will be happening externally, and if anything happens _internally_ , I can get us all back out.” Benny nodded, feeling a little better at that. “Alright, sit down and get comfy. Since this will be a first for the both of you, I don’t want to risk you falling over and getting hurt.” They did as requested, sitting on the bottom bunk. “Okay, now close your eyes and _relax_.”

Bad Cop found himself losing focus as Lucy began to chant, and between one breath and the next, he found himself opening his eyes again inside his mindscape. It… wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all, and apparently even Lucy wasn’t prepared for the pitch black they found themselves in. “Oh!” she gasped. “Bad Cop? Benny?”

“I’m here,” Bad Cop assured, carefully reaching out in the direction of her voice. His hand found her arm, and she jumped badly. “Sorry, that was me.”

“Guys?!” Benny yelped.

“Hang on…”

“Why is it so dark?”

“A person’s mindscape tends to reflect their state of mind,” Lucy murmured. “Bad Cop, I never realized… How long has it been like this?”

“…Probably since shortly after you broke Emmet out of the Melting Chamber.”

Lucy flinched. “Is that when Business erased Good Cop?”

“Yes.”

“…I’m so sorry…”

“You’re not at fault, Lucy.”

“Just because he blamed _you_ for it doesn’t mean you are either!” He didn’t answer, instead concentrating hard, and slowly their surroundings brightened. “…Are you?”

“Business didn’t know _everything_ about us,” was all Bad Cop said in answer. Benny relaxed once he could see, and drifted over to them.

“Jerk,” Lucy pouted, then took a look around. “Whoa… This is different.”

“How so?”

“Most mindscapes I’ve ventured into haven’t been anywhere near this developed.” She gave him a questioning look. “Is it because you’re dual-born?”

Bad Cop nodded. “Alastar and I spend quite a bit of time inside our own head, when the other of us is in control. If he or I couldn’t quiet our minds enough to rest, we would work on this.” He started walking then, Lucy and Benny trailing along behind, the young woman taking in everything with voracious curiosity. Even Vitruvius had never had the opportunity to visit the mind of a dual-born, as far as she knew.

“So what exactly is it that we’re looking for?” Benny asked.

“I don’t know,” Bad Cop admitted. “But I get the feeling it’ll find us.”

“That’s not ominous at all.” Benny flinched as the ‘sky’ flashed, and the rumble of thunder rolled over them. Still a gloomy mindframe, he noted, but it was better than the complete darkness, at least. He didn’t like the look of the chasm to their left, though, and Bad Cop seemed to be steadfastly ignoring it. That must have been Good Cop’s ‘side’, he figured, studying the way some of the jags reached a little too close for comfort.

The scenery shifted suddenly, as dreams tended to do, and Benny nearly ran into Bad Cop’s back. Lucy inched closer to them, biting her lip. Unfamiliar territory, it seemed, and it was far less complex than what they had seen up until that point. “Lucy, that face is not very reassuring,” the astronaut complained.

“We’re still good,” she told him. “That was just… very jarring. Whose part is this?”

“Neither of us,” Bad Cop answered. “Who’s out there?” It was quiet for a stretch, and then came a soft, almost shy,

_“…hELLo_.” The voice was chilling, not a proper voice like theirs, but seeming to come from everywhere at once.

Lucy and Benny watched, unmoving, as Bad Cop froze in shock, and a small child appeared from behind some of the random clutter. The kid couldn’t have been any older than nine, and approached very slowly, very cautiously.

They also didn’t have a face. Lucy shivered, grabbing Benny’s arm. He pulled himself closer to press his side against hers.

Bad Cop, however, had knelt on the strange ground to be more level with the child. “You’re the one who spoke to me last night.” The child nodded. “Are you the one who’s been making me dizzy too?” The child nodded again, this time more hesitantly. “You were trying to switch in, weren’t you.”

“ _yOU NEedeD hElp_.”

“But you couldn’t because you don’t have a face…” The child didn’t react. “…Where did you come from?”

“ _thE bOY._ ”

“The boy…?”

“ _HE MaKes the sTOries._ ”

That seemed to ring a bell for Lucy. “I think Emmet mentioned something about a boy, when he fell through the Infinite Abyss…”

“So The Boy sent you to help?”

“ _nOt sent. bRouGHT BacK._ ”

“Brought ba- …oh.”

“B?” Benny ventured. Bad Cop put a hand over his mouth, giving the child a contemplative look.

“I thought something about all this felt familiar, but it all happened so long ago I wasn’t sure.”

“Care to share with the class?” Lucy asked. Benny snickered.

“I’m not sure how much of what I do remember is accurate, but I think… I think it wasn’t always just me and Alastar. I do remember hearing Mum crying about someone named Keelan one night, though.” The child practically vibrated at the mention of the name. “I just figured it was someone from one of their calls gone wrong, at the time.” He turned his attention back to the child. “It wasn’t though, was it?” The child was practically bouncing now. “ _You’re_ Keelan.”

“ _YES!_ ”

“Soooo…” Benny drew out, and everyone looked at him. “I guess you could say he’s your ‘inner child’?”

Bad Cop barked out a surprised laugh. “Ben, that was terrible.”

“No worse than the travesty _you_ told the other night.”

“I guess that would explain why you’ve survived this long,” Lucy mused. “You _did_ have someone else in here, even if he’s not actually capable of taking over.”

“I think I can fix that, actually.”

Benny stared in surprise as a marker magically appeared in Bad Cop’s hand. Lucy didn’t even bat a lash, so he figured that sort of thing was normal in mindspace. Instead she was watching with intrigue as Bad Cop drew a facsimile of a face onto Keelan, much like the scribbles he’d drawn on himself before. The child held very still as Bad Cop worked, drawn-on eyes blinking as he finished and pulled away. Keelan looked around in amazement, then threw himself at his brother. “Oof!”

Benny snickered. “Aww. Hey, since you have a nickname, and Alastar has a nickname… Can we call him Scribbles?”

“Ben, _no_. That’s mean.”

“I doN’T mInd.”

“Well, I think we’ve accomplished what we came here for,” Lucy said. “We should probably get back before the others start to worry about us.”

“Sounds like an idea to me,” Benny agreed. “As enlightening as this experience was, I’m still not super comfortable with being in someone else’s head.”

“Fair enough,” Bad Cop ceded. He glanced back to his newfound triplet. “Will you be okay?”

Keelan reached out and tapped his temple. “I’lL be hERe.” Taking that as her cue, Lucy reached for both of the guys and brought them back to consciousness.

“What a rush,” Benny complained, holding his head and blinking. “I don’t think I ever want to do that again- no offense, B.”

Bad Cop chuckled. “None taken.”

“Holy crap, did you just _laugh_?”

The astronaut smirked. “Not the first time I’ve accomplished that,” he bragged, and the cop shook his head. “You gonna be okay, B?”

“I think so. It’s just a lot to take in that we’ve apparently been _triplets_ this entire time.”

Benny snickered. “It’s not so bad, you know. I’m a triplet too.”

“Yes, but the three of you don’t have to share one body.”

“Good point. I’m heading back up now to get started on those repairs.”

“You do that, Ben.” He chuckled as Benny zipped out of the room.

“Wait,” Lucy called when Bad Cop moved to follow the spaceman. He paused, looking back at her.

“Is something the matter?”

“Can we talk?”

He turned to face her fully. “About what?”

“…Am I doing something wrong?” She looked so small in that moment, so completely unlike the Wyldstyle he’d known in the past, and the Lucy he had come to know. Whatever she was asking, it must really be bothering her.

“In regards to what?”

“Emmet. We… we’ve been dating for a while now and haven’t really done much. We hold hands and we cuddle and sometimes he’ll kiss my cheek or I’ll kiss his but we’ve been together for almost two months now and we haven’t progressed any further than that and people keep asking me if we’ve-”

“Hey, hey, hold up,” he cut her off, eyebrows raising over his sunglasses. “You’re asking me about _relationship advice?_ Lucy, just how much experience do you think I have?”

She huffed at him, crossing her arms. “Well I was going to be generous and say ‘probably more than I have’, but now I’m going to have to say _none_. I just…” She glanced down. “You’re an objective third party. You’re observant, and you’re not afraid to tell it like it is. And I really need that right now.” She looked back up at him, pleading. “I really want things with Emmet to work out.”

It was touching, that she trusted him that much, to show vulnerability in his presence. He never would have expected it. “Well your first mistake was letting others dictate the pace of your relationship,” he pointed out. “What you and Emmet do is between you and Emmet, not the rest of Bricksburg. You two kind of rose to celebrity status overnight, people are going to get nosy, but you have every right to tell them to shove off if they’re making you uncomfortable. And taking things slow isn’t a bad thing- you two are young, you have all the time in the world to get to ‘other things’.” He took his shades off, looking her directly in the eye. “And if you ever suggest he might not be interested in you anymore, I _will_ knock some sense into you. I’ve never seen a young man more besotted. I daresay he’s taking things slow because he’s just as nervous as you about messing things up. And if there’s one thing I learned from Mum and Dad, it’s that communication is key. So go talk to him, tell _him_ what’s on your mind, and don’t pester _me_ with this nonsense again.”

She giggled and wiped her eyes before wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you, Cary,” she said softly, before releasing him and practically sprinting back up to the deck. He sighed and shook his head.

“Kids these days,” he grumbled as he followed. “Always in such a hurry…”


	15. What A Wonderful World

When Bad Cop reached the deck, he was greeted with the sight of Benny waist-deep under his dash, a pile of burnt circuitry built up on one side. Business was standing on one wing leaning into the open canopy, his suitcase full of spare parts open on the passenger seat. He seemed to be observing Benny, and having a conversation with him. Bad Cop didn’t care to know what it was about, instead wandering over to where Emmet, Unikitty, and Metalbeard had apparently been trying to figure out how to recreate both of their stolen keys. Lucy had come to sit beside Emmet, listening intently as she got caught up.

Unikitty had Business’ phone, and was flipping between the photos he had captured of the arcane formulas. “I think I actually _can_ replicate that,” she was saying. “If I’m understanding these right, these are the formulas for the enchantments on those keys. It’s complicated stuff, though, so it might take me a while to get it right.”

“Even for someone as experienced as you?” Lucy teased.

“Pfft, I’m not _that_ old.”

“Didn’t say you were _old_. Inquisitive, on the other hand…”

“…Is this one of those ‘curiosity killed the cat’ jokes?”

“Wow, I didn’t know you told jokes!”

Bad Cop chuckled, gaining their attention. “I’ll take the blame for that,” he said as Lucy blushed.

“Huh?”

“I was just in his head helping him with something,” Lucy explained, looking embarrassed. “Sometimes… when you’re inside someone else’s head, some of their traits rub off on you. In this case, I apparently picked up on Bad Cop’s penchant for bad jokes. It’ll wear off in a bit,” she assured Emmet. There was a sudden _clang!_ and a snarled curse from the vicinity of the spaceship. “…And apparently Benny picked up on his grumpiness.” Unikitty started giggling uncontrollably.

“Oh dear… I better go make sure he’s okay.” She bounced to her feet and trotted over, giggling harder at the weirded-out look on Business’ face. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine in a few more minutes.” She climbed up to peer inside the cockpit. “Benny-Ben?”

“What?” he groused back at her, clearly put out by something.

“You’re scaring Busy, bestie. Put the soldering gun down and come take a breather.”

“But I’m almost done…” the astronaut whined in response.

“You’re pulling a Bad Cop and it’s freaking people out.”

“…What?” He finally appeared from under the dash, giving her a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Apparently he rubbed off on you a bit while you were in his head. Lucy’s over there cracking jokes, too. Now come on, come take a break til everything’s back to normal again.”

“ _Lucy’s_ telling _jokes_? And I’m _missing it?_ ” He pouted.

“Not if you agree to taking a break!” Unikitty sang, and bounced back to the others. Business followed her, intrigued at the premise of Lucy making puns. Benny huffed and put his tools away, climbing out to join them.

“Lucy, why didn’t you tell me something like this might happen?”

“Umm. Honestly? I kind of forgot,” she admitted, looking sheepish. “But it’s not dangerous! Or permanent. And it doesn’t always happen either, in fact it’s not until an irresistible opportunity arises that you even know it did anyway. Like Unikitty setting herself up for a joke. Or you getting frustrated with fixing your spaceship.”

“At any rate, I think we did manage to get the keys figured out.” Emmet gestured to the two exact replicas sitting on the deck between them. “Unikitty just needs to practice the enchantments, and then we’re set.”

“Oh! That’s good news.”

Unikitty nodded. “I’ll just need a few objects to practice on. Preferably something that no one is particularly attached to…”

“She tends to blow things up when she’s experimenting,” Benny stage-whispered, to much snickering.

“Benny! I do not!”

“Lass, there be a reason I’ve yet to change to a more functional body.”

Unikitty pouted. “You guys suck, you know that?”

“We only tease you cause we love you!” Benny called after her as she wandered off in search of practice material.

“Psh, whatever.” Metalbeard chuckled at the pair of them.

“So what are we going to do while we’re waiting?” Emmet asked.

“Well, I’m gonna finish fixing my spaceship, and then maybe help Bad Cop with his car, if he’ll let me,” Benny answered, casting the cop a sideways glance.

“That’s fine by me.”

“I guess I’ll help Metalbeard try to figure out what the ‘nonsense’ is,” Business said with a shrug.

Emmet wilted. “That still doesn’t leave me or Lucy with anything to do…”

“Actually, that suits me fine,” Lucy interrupted. “I was wanting to talk to you anyway…” As she pulled him out of earshot, Bad Cop smirked to himself.

“What do you know, she _does_ listen.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Bad Cop waved Benny off. “Mind if I help with your spaceship?”

The astronaut lit up. “Oh, sure! Come on!” He practically flew back to his spacecraft in his eagerness, and disappeared under the dash once more. Bad Cop lifted an eyebrow as all he could see of Benny was his khaki-clad legs, blue Converses propped up in the pilot’s seat.

“On second thought, I’ll just leave you to it. There’s no way I’m going to fit under there with you.”

“Aww, come on man, at least keep me company?? You can pass me parts!”

“…Move your feet.” Benny wiggled his shoes, earning a short laugh. “ _Ben_. You know what I meant.” Snickering floated out from under the dash, and Benny obligingly lifted his feet as Bad Cop climbed in, stretching his legs across the seats, only to settle them back atop his lap.

It fell silent on the Sea Cow as everyone found themselves occupied with their respective projects. Business and Metalbeard barely took note as Unikitty trotted past them, leaving the ship to go practice in the sands, too focused on trying to decipher the odd symbols found inside the temple’s heart. Metalbeard grumbled in frustration; Sirius might have still had the photos, but the screen on his phone was just too small to get any proper work done. “This be hopeless,” he complained.

“…We’ll take a break,” Business agreed, closing the gallery app. Metalbeard watched in interest as he opened another app.

“What are ye doin’?”

“Well I don’t know about you, but I like some music in my down time.”

The pirate groaned. “If I have to be listenin’ to that awful song one more time-” But what came out of the small speaker wasn’t what he was expecting. “…Huh.”

“Metalbeard, is that you?” Lucy asked as she and Emmet rejoined them, holding hands. “That’s catchy.”

“Nay, lass, ‘tis Business.”

“Really?” She looked intrigued. “I never would have guessed, after being plagued with Everything Is Awesome for the longest time, that you would actually have decent taste in music.” He pouted at her. “What is it?”

“What’s wrong with Everything Is Awesome?” Emmet sulked.

“Glenn Miller Band,” Business answered with a huff. “I’ll have you know I have _excellent_ taste in music. _That_ song was carefully calculated to garner as much popularity, and therefore money, as possible.”

“ _You_ sang that song…”

“It’s kind of hard _not_ to pick up on the lyrics when you hear it enough. It’s an earworm, I’ll give you that.” Emmet sulked some more, but was distracted soon enough as the next song started.

“Lucy, I have an old phonograph in me quarters, if ye’d be willin’ to fetch it. Perhaps we can figure a way to hook it up to his phone, get some proper sound.”

“You bet!” She jogged below deck in search of it as Emmet sat beside Business, peering at his playlist. She was gone only a couple of minutes, and soon returned with the modified phonograph. Emmet had a curious look on his face. “What is it, babe?”

“I saw a movie once, a long time ago, where a couple danced to music like this. It seemed so romantic,” he explained as Lucy and Business worked to connect it to his phone. She smiled and grabbed his hand, dragging him back to his feet. “Lucy??”

“Dance with me!”

He gaped at her. “You know how to dance??”

“Nope!” she said with a wink. “But at least we’ll be making fools of ourselves _together_ , and have fun doing so.” He grinned widely, more than content to let her lead and laughing as they stepped on each other’s toes. Business rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment, letting them have their fun.

The music grabbed the attention of Benny and Bad Cop, the former popping up to see what was going on. Bad Cop looked at him in askance. “I’m done anyway,” the astronaut announced. “A break actually sounds good, what do you think?”

“I’m not in any hurry, it’s not like we’re going anywhere anytime soon anyway.”

“A simple ‘yes’ will do,” Benny teased, launching himself out over a wing. “Come on!” Bad Cop gathered up the case of parts and followed him. Benny floated up to drape himself over Metalbeard’s shoulder, simply watching the young couple.

Bad Cop leaned against the railing, glancing over as Unikitty trotted back up to see what was going on. She sat beside him, swishing her tail to the music. “They’re adorable together, aren’t they?” she asked after a minute, looking back up at the cop.

He glanced down at her, quirking an eyebrow, and shrugged. “They suit each other.”

Unikitty grinned. “Admit it, Mr. Tough Guy, you think they’re sweet.”

“Good Cop’s the one who thinks things are ‘sweet’. I just think they’re dorks.”

“You’ve got a soft spot for them though. You haven’t terrorized either one of them nearly as much as we thought you would.”

“Emmet was just a dumb kid in the wrong place at the wrong time, we knew that from the start. But we had to go through with the interrogation and attempted melting to appease Business, there was no way he was going to just _let_ someone walk away with the Piece of Resistance stuck to their back. And Lucy…” He glanced back over at the dancing couple. “I guess she reminds me of myself when we were that young. She’s not a bad sort, even if she was the biggest pain in my rear end the past several years.”

Unikitty blinked at that, then smirked at him. “Are you calling _yourself_ a dork, then?”

He looked back at her, startled by her roundabout logic. “…I neither confirm nor deny that statement.”

“Oh he totally is,” Lucy said, having swung by close enough to overhear them. “I mean, whoever would have thought big, scary _Bad Cop_ was the sort to spout puns and quote Scooby Doo?” She glanced at him, tensed for an argument, but relaxed when all she saw was an amused smirk.

“I think you two are driving Business up the wall.”

“What?” Lucy blinked, looking over as Business approached.

“If you two are going to dance, you should at least learn how to do it _right_ ,” Business grumped at them. “Honestly, what are they even teaching you kids these days…” He shooed Emmet aside and motioned for Lucy to come closer.

“ _You_ know how to dance?” Lucy asked in amazement as she stepped toward him, letting him arrange her just so.

“Any reason I shouldn’t?”

“Well, no…” Lucy admitted. “I just never thought you the type I guess, you always seemed to just be concerned with growing your business, and catching us of course.”

“Goodness, Lucy, you didn’t honestly think I stayed in power as long as I did through sheer brute force, did you?” She gave him a pointed look. “Well, okay, maybe I did where you Master Builders were concerned. My point is, even the ‘normal’ people would have rebelled much sooner than they did if I hadn’t practiced a little charm and compromise. Now, follow my lead.” He began to dance as a new song started, coaching Lucy through the steps, and Emmet watched in enthralled fascination.

“It’s just hard to remember you didn’t get to be where you did through violence alone, when you had us outlawed and hunted us so ruthlessly,” Lucy explained, looking down to see where she was putting her feet.

“Ah ah, eyes up here young lady. You have to _feel_ it.” She snapped her gaze back up to his, blushing angrily at being scolded like a little kid. He smirked back at her. “You’re getting the hang of it pretty quickly, though.” Her eyes widened as he led her through a twirl.

“I, uh… I think I can see why some people enjoy this,” she admitted, and squeaked as he pulled her close when the song changed, eyes going wide as he started a slower dance. “What are you doing-”

“Teaching you. Now hush and pay attention.” Though she was quick to fall into the rhythm, he didn’t release her until the song ended, and she could feel her face growing hotter through it. When he kissed her hand, she couldn’t decide whether to melt into a puddle of goo, or give him a swift kick in the shins. He smirked at her, as if sensing her dilemma. “See?”

“You are a _jerk_ ,” she declared, face still tomato red. Bad Cop chuckled. “And you shut up!” Benny cackled at them from his perch still on Metalbeard’s shoulder.

“Emmet, why don’t you come over here now and give it a try,” Business called, motioning for him to come over and take his place. The construction worker eagerly hurried over, grinning brightly at Lucy.

“Well at least _one_ of us was enjoying that lesson,” she muttered.

“Oh come on Lucy, cheer up! It’ll be even more fun once we actually learn how to do this!”

“See? Emmet’s in the spirit,” Business teased.

“You’re still a jerk!”

“Busy, quit heckling her!” Benny called, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“I’m done anyway,” Business huffed, and returned to his seat at Metalbeard’s side, leaving the young couple to their own devices once again.

After some time, Unikitty decided to magic up snacks from somewhere, much to everyone’s delight. By then, Business had completely lost interest in Lucy and Emmet, and was having an animated discussion with Metalbeard about what sounded like the coffee trade. Metalbeard fell silent as he watched the couple slow dance, the words of the song sinking in.

“Moon,” he muttered, thoughts churning. Business cut himself off at the odd interruption.

“What?”

“THAT BE IT!” the pirate suddenly thundered in triumph, and everyone froze to stare at him.

“ _What?!_ ” Business demanded.

“Benny! Fetch me paper and pencil! Methinks I know what them symbols be!”

“Aye aye cap’n!” Benny gave him a mock salute before disappearing into the captain’s cabin.

“Oh! What are they??” Unikitty bounced eagerly. Emmet and Lucy made their way over, still holding hands. Metalbeard smirked, waiting for Benny to make his reappearance first. The astronaut emerged just a moment later, paper and pencil in hand.

“They be constellations,” he finally revealed. Business blinked and frowned, bringing the photos back up.

“You’re sure?”

“Here, hand that over,” Benny said, reaching for the phone. Business handed it over without a word, watching with the same curiosity as everyone else as the astronaut copied down the dots in each symbol, and grinned. “Holy crap, he’s _right_.” He then connected the stars into more familiar shapes to show them. “Definitely constellations, just recorded as an ancient civilization saw them rather than how we’re used to them.”

“So it was still a map?” Lucy ventured.

“Aye, lass, just not one showing sea or land.” He glanced up at the darkening sky. “Not much longer now, and we’ll be off again.”

“Can you move then?” Bad Cop asked, and the pirate nodded.

“I be gettin’ there, at least,” he confirmed.

“That’s great!” Unikitty cheered. “I can’t wait to see where we’re going next!”

“Well, now that we’ve got that figured out.” Business collected his phone and got to his feet. “I’m going to get to work on deciphering the rest of these clues. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

“Benny, I’ll be needin’ yer help charting our course.”

“Not a problem.”

“I guess that’s our cue to scoot off to bed then,” Emmet remarked, and stretched. “I’m sure ready.”

“Sounds good,” Lucy agreed. Unikitty bounced along after the couple, Bad Cop bringing up the rear as they all made their way to their quarters for the night.


	16. Find Your Path In The Stars

Flea nudged his way into the study with a hot cup of tea, wholly unsurprised to find the captain still at her desk with the former President’s tablet, poring over the notes it contained. “Brought your tea, Cap’,” he announced, and she glanced up, green eyes bright. “Good reading, I take it?”

“I always said he was a cunning businessman and politician, but I never would have guessed him to be such a brilliant archeologist as well.” She reached for the tea as he held it out and gestured for him to take a seat. He sat and waited as she sipped the tea. “His methods kind of remind me of someone… Anyway. It’s amazing, how much of this he’s been able to decipher with so little to go on. There’s snippets of translations into other languages, some of them decades old, others centuries, but they still only provide for so many words. But the translations he’s made on his own- he’s practically _doubled_ the lexicon.”

“Like a kid in a candy store,” Flea teased. “No wonder you haven’t put that thing down.”

“Oh, hush you.”

“So what’s it say?”

“There’s a lot of history in here, mostly detailing the downfall of Atlantis, but I’ve also caught some references to Master Builders. There’s a lot of cultural context there, I think, so I can’t really make heads or tails of what they’re trying to say… Some stuff about the temples being erected as... gateways, I think that says? Placed so that only those who have proved themselves worthy may pass to the next. Something about sentinels, and the temples being the keepers of Atlantean history… Makes sense, with all this stuff they put on the walls. And it looks like some hints on the next temple.”

Flea snickered. “Think they’ll have any luck getting through it without their notes?”

Airheart steepled her fingers together, looking thoughtful. “Actually… I think they just might. I’ve done a bit of research on that crew, you see. I thought I recognized them when we confronted them in the desert- those are the same Master Builders that helped The Special stop Lord Business, and not a one of them could be considered a pushover. Metalbeard is a very experienced captain, he’s been sailing the seas since he was only four years old. The girl in black was at least formerly known as Wyldstyle, Vitruvius’ last, and best, student. Unikitty’s no sheltered princess, she kept Cloud Cuckooland hidden from the Super Secret Police for _years_ , and somehow managed to keep the place from falling apart despite being populated only by Master Builders. I think the short man in blue might be the astronaut Benjamin Blue, who was already a very skilled engineer before he was discovered to be a Master Builder- the damage he did to our engines is evidence enough of that. And maybe they’re missing the world’s best detective, but Bad Cop is a _very_ close second, and tenacious to boot, and with Lord Business having proven himself to be quite the intellectual…”

“And The Special himself??”

The sky captain smirked. “Let’s just say I haven’t had competition this _exciting_ in ages.”

~* *~

It turned out their next destination was about a week’s trek inland, in the middle of a rainforest. By the time they reached the next temple, Unikitty had the worst case of fleas she’d ever experienced, and the others weren’t much better off. Everyone else was covered in mosquito bites and, in one memorable experience for Emmet, leeches. Bad Cop could sympathize, and when he stopped laughing, he helped to get them off.

“Mind your step,” the officer teased.

“I hate nature,” Emmet complained in response. “Nature is most definitely _not_ awesome.”

“Come on, city boy, buck up. A few days in the woods isn’t going to kill you. Besides, we’re almost there.”

“How are you so sure?” Bad Cop simply pointed ahead in answer. “I don’t see anything…”

“That’s cause it be overgrown, lad. Look closer.”

Emmet frowned, squinting and tilting his head this way and that. “…Ohh! I see now!”

Benny was the first to wander inside, trying to see in the dim light of leaf-filtered sun- the place had no real roof, just a tangle of overgrowth that mimicked one- and a single burning torch. He tilted his head as a second lit upon Bad Cop’s entry, more lighting up as the others trickled inside. It was like a light bulb lit, but before he could voice his observation, he was interrupted.

“Oh my,” Unikitty gasped as she came in, bringing up the rear.

“What is it?” Lucy asked.

“I can feel…” Her eyes went wide. “Oh my goodness, there’s so much energy here! It’s like it’s _alive!_ ”

“Can you tap into it?” Emmet suggested.

“I’m gonna try, but it will take me a while to figure out how.” She sat in the middle of the room and closed her eyes. “I’ll give a shout when I figure it out.”

As the others spread out to explore the adjacent rooms, Benny sat by Unikitty. “I think I might have found out the significance of the torches,” he said, and she turned to look at him.

“Yeah?”

“They lit up on their own as we all came in.”

She looked around. “But there’s only six torches. There’s _seven_ of us.”

Benny thought for a moment. “Six of us are Master Builders, though.”

Unikitty frowned at him in confusion. “Five of us.”

“No, six. Bad Cop.”

Her eyes went wide, first shocked, then outraged. “He was _one of us_ all along-?!”

“Shhh!” Benny hissed as her fur flashed scarlet, trying to calm her. “Keep your voice down, I don’t think the others have realized it yet!” Her ears flattened against her skull, but she fell silent as requested. “Yeah I was mad too, when I first found out. Like, _really_ mad. But I don’t think he really considers himself one, just- recognizes that he has the potential, I guess? He said they never had any actual training though.”

“If you’re right about the torches, Benny, the magic here recognizes him as one of us,” she protested. “I don’t think I can forgive-”

“I know,” Benny soothed, stroking her fur. “He did a lot of bad things for Busy. I don’t know his motivation, I haven’t asked. It’s still kind of a sore subject for everyone. But consider this- he never actually _hurt_ any Master Builders, just captured us, and he _did_ help us in the end. And hey, come on, we’ve all been getting along fine since, right?”

Unikitty sighed, fur fading back to bubblegum pink as her anger ebbed. “Yeah, you’re right. In the end, knowing this doesn’t really change things. He’s still Bad Cop, Master Builder or not.” Benny nodded. She smirked. “I guess that explains how he was so good at hunting us down, he could think like us because he _is_ one of us. I wonder if Busy knows?”

“I don’t know. We probably shouldn’t bring it up around him, though, in case he doesn’t. Bad Cop should be the one to tell him that.” He got back to his feet. “I’ll let you get to work now, I’m gonna go pester B.”

Unikitty grinned. “So when are you gonna tell him?”

Benny paused and turned back to her. “Tell who what?”

“Bad Cop, that you _like_ him.” Her grin turned positively wicked as Benny blushed.

“When he’s ready to hear it,” the astronaut mumbled before hurrying away, Unikitty’s giggles following him.

~* *~

Bad Cop had wandered after Emmet and Lucy, only half listening to their chatter as the couple explored the room they’d found themselves in. The other half of his attention was turned inward.

Since the discovery of Keelan, he’d been helping his newfound brother get the hang of piggybacking on his consciousness, getting used to the world outside, to sensations he’d never before had the chance to experience, even if it was only second-hand. They’d been working up to a proper switch, not wanting Keelan to be completely overwhelmed on his first time in control. Bad Cop nodded to himself as he reached a decision. This temple was as safe a place as any for Keelan’s first switch, as insulated from the rest of the world as it was.

**_Are you ready?_ **

_I thInk so_ , came the answer, Keelan’s nervousness and excitement bubbling to the surface.

**_Just relax. Nothing here will hurt you._ **

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was two months out of practice now, but it still came naturally to switch out. He took it slowly, letting Keelan feel how it was done. The scribbled-on face slid to the front, drawn on eyes widening as the youngest brother looked on the world with his own eyes for the first time. Bad Cop remained an active presence, relaxed and encouraging but also alert. The young couple didn’t even seem to take notice of them as Keelan touched the leaves of some ivy clinging to a wall, feeling their smooth texture, feeling the roughness of the hewn stone of the wall itself, kneeling down to feel the grittiness of the dirt under their feet. He breathed in deeply, drawing in the smell of the place, and failed to notice the presence watching him curiously.

Benny remained silent, not wanting to startle Keelan. The youngest triplet seemed to finally notice him and looked over, and Benny waved in greeting. “Hey kiddo, how’s the world?” Keelan simply grinned in response and went back to his explorations. Benny chuckled.

Emmet looked over upon hearing Benny’s voice, and watched who he thought was Bad Cop going around touching everything. “Uh. What’s he doing…?” he finally asked after several minutes.

Lucy glanced over at his question and, having put two and two together fairly quickly, gave his hand a squeeze. “That’s Keelan,” she said softly.

“Oh!”

She smiled, stopping him as he stepped toward them. He looked back at her curiously. “Let’s let him explore on his own for a bit first, you can introduce yourself later.”

“Oh. Alright then.”

~* *~

Metalbeard ambled after Business as he eagerly devoured the knowledge that the murals offered, fingers trailing along some of the details of the paintings, rambling his thoughts out loud to his audience of one. “It’s remarkable, the condition these paintings are in. Centuries of being left unprotected in this atmosphere should have had them flaking away.” He paused every once in a while to take a picture.

“What are they saying?”

“I think-”

There was suddenly a shriek from the main chamber where they’d left Unikitty, and without even sparing a glance at each other they sprinted out of the room of murals to go find her. Business glanced over as the other four came careening out of another room, each as wide eyed as himself with surprise and worry. Unikitty was nowhere to be found. “Unikitty!” Benny called out for her, tone bordering on desperate. There was no answer, but there was another path that she had managed to open in their absence.

“Down here!” they finally heard, and Benny was the first to investigate the path she took. It looked like a giant horsetail plant, with a sort of ‘fin’ spiraling down its length. The moment he set foot on it, it began to undulate, and with a yelp he found himself dropping down to the next level. Unikitty giggled as it dumped him on the ground face first. “You okay?”

“What a ride!” he laughed, and looked back up. “Come on down guys, it’s okay!” He turned back to his friend. “I thought you were working on figuring out this temple’s magic?”

“I was!” Unikitty protested. “I felt something coming from further down, though, and decided to investigate. And boy am I glad I did, isn’t it pretty down here??”

Benny looked around, finally noticing the lichens that grew along the walls. They looked almost like clam shells, and their insides glowed in bright blue and purple. “Whoa.” The horsetail plant began to wriggle again, bringing the others down, each of them landing as gracelessly as he had. He snickered.

“Woooooow,” Emmet gasped. “It’s so pretty!”

“I had a suspicion there had to be more to this place than just a bunch of pictures,” Metalbeard muttered. “The actual trial must be down here.”

“So what are we looking for this time?” Business fished out his notes, reading through them.

“…I actually don’t know. I can’t make sense of it, it says to… lend a helping hand to open the door?”

“I guess we just walk and see what we run into then,” Lucy sighed, and marched ahead, following the glowing lichens through the tunnel. It eventually opened into what looked like a massive cleft in the ground. Lucy froze with a gasp, and Emmet nearly ran into her back. “Oh my…”

“Oh, _wow!_ ”

The walls of the cleft were too high and too smooth for them to climb out, not that they were even thinking about it; their attention was on the multiple levels spread out before them, crisscrossed with fallen logs and tangled vines, plants quite literally _everywhere_. Their presence startled a flock of birds that fluttered out of the ravine, flashes of iridescent blue and purple. Further down they could see more glowing plants, more than just the lichens on the tunnel walls, but leaves and flowers that emitted light as well.

Business gaped at the sight before them. “Why do I get the feeling we just walked into the Garden of Eden?”


	17. Jungle Landing

“Alright, before we go any further, let me just… try to figure this out a little better…” Business muttered, flipping back through his notes.

“Maybe this one won’t be as puzzle-based as the others?” Emmet suggested. Business looked back up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, ‘lend a helping hand’ makes me think that it’s hinting at teamwork,” the construction worker said with a shrug.

“There is a lot of space to cover here,” Benny mused. “Did anyone think to bring radios?”

“What are ye thinkin’, lad?”

“Well, if Emmet’s right and this is gonna be a ‘team effort’ sort of thing, the solution must be something pretty wide-spread, judging by the size of this place. We might just have to split up, and we’ll need a way to keep in contact with each other.” The friends turned to look at each other, each of them shaking their heads. “I guess we didn’t then,” Benny sighed.

“Hey Sirius, you brought that case with you, right?” Lucy asked suddenly.

“I did,” he answered.

“Good. I’ll be right back.” She jogged back through the tunnel. Business dropped himself to the ground, propping his notepad against one knee and using his free hand to look through the photos on his phone.

“There’s got to be something more to this than just that one line. There were a lot more hints for the desert temple,” he muttered. “What am I overlooking?”

He hadn’t made any progress by the time Lucy returned, seven small radios in hand. “Are we ready to get started?” she asked, handing them out.

“As we’ll ever be, I guess,” Business sighed, getting back to his feet and brushing dirt from his pants.

“How are we going to find our way around?”

“I can help with that,” Unikitty said. “The magic is stronger here than in the temple- I can feel it flowing through here, like a river. It can be our guide.”

“Perhaps ye better lead the way then, Princess,” Metalbeard suggested, stepping aside to let her pass. Her expression was set in concentration and determination, and as they followed, Business took pictures of every notable view he could find. She paused at the first branch in the path, looking between the two as she decided which way to try first. After a minute she went to the left, crossing the fallen log that formed a bridge across the ravine, carefully testing that it hadn’t rotted too much to hold her weight.

“Seems pretty solid,” she informed them after she’d made it halfway across and bounced a few times.

“I dunno lass, not sure I want to be takin’ me chances with that,” Metalbeard hesitated.

“That’s okay, I can help!” Benny chirped, and perched himself on his best friend’s shoulder.

“Thank ye, Benny,” the captain said, and carefully stepped onto the log. When it didn’t crackle under his weight, or give any other sign that a giant cyborg was standing on it, he continued across with a little more confidence. “Um, why don’t ye just… stay there til we be gettin’ this place figured out?”

Benny snickered. “Sure thing.”

“Oh! Look over there!” Unikitty bounced excitedly before bolting off. The others hurried to keep up with her. She came to a stop by a pedestal that had a stylized handprint on it.

“Oh, for…” Bad Cop started to chuckle, even as Unikitty snorted in attempt to hold back her own giggles. “‘Lend a helping hand’… I’d say that’s pretty obvious what they meant, now.”

“Are you kidding me?” Business growled in disbelief amongst the others’ amusement. “It was a _pun_ the whole time?!”

“You got something against puns?” Lucy teased.

“Hey, I can appreciate a joke as well as anyone, but this is supposed to be the most advanced civilization ever, what are they doing leaving _puns_ as clues?”

Emmet shrugged, still grinning. “They were human too.”

Business rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Alright, back to the task at hand. I think this is evidence enough that Emmet was right- there must be more of these scattered all throughout here. Thoughts?”

“Maybe we have to touch all of them at once?” Benny suggested, finally bringing his cackling under control. “Or even in a certain order?”

“Maybe there’s some more clues on the door,” Lucy continued. “We should probably find that first.”

“I think I’ll be staying here then,” Bad Cop said. “Whichever the case, it would make sense to leave one of us at each one we find.”

“You have a point,” Unikitty nodded. “Alright! That’s what we’ll do then! On to the next!” She bounded back across the log bridge, the others running to keep up. Bad Cop chuckled to himself as he watched them go, taking the opportunity to relax. It was a little disappointing that staying meant missing out on seeing the rest of the ravine, but of all of them, he and Metalbeard were the only ones really suited to long periods of solitude. Besides, it would give Keelan more of an opportunity to explore, since his first time switching in had been cut short so abruptly.

“You sure Bad Cop’s gonna be okay, staying there all by himself?” Emmet asked, glancing back over his shoulder in the direction they had left.

“He’ll be fine,” Business assured. “This isn’t exactly the countryside he’s used to, but I daresay he’ll make himself plenty comfortable. And since Lucy made those radios, he can at least still talk to us.”

“I don’t think there’s anything dangerous here anyway,” Benny continued. “We haven’t come across anything trying to kill us yet, except maybe those sky pirates.” Emmet snickered at that.

“I guess you’re right. I guess I’m just uneasy, being some place like this. This is the first I’ve ever spent any real length of time out in nature, you know? Up until Lucy busted me out of the Melting Chamber, I’d never even been outside of Bricksburg!”

“Come to think of it, this isn’t really all that different from the forests I used to play in back home,” Lucy said, taking Emmet’s hand. “Not quite as peaceful as the bamboo forest, there’s an energy I’m not really used to, but that might just be from the all the magic Unikitty says is here.”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about your home,” Emmet said, swinging their arms. She gave him an apologetic smile.

“I don’t really like to think about it. I haven’t been back since I was twelve.” Emmet looked like he wanted to ask, but stopped himself before the question made it into words. Lucy gave his hand a grateful squeeze. “I’ll tell you someday. Just… not yet. I’m not ready yet.”

They continued on in silence for some time, simply listening to the sounds of birds singing and insects buzzing- no mosquitoes though, much to their relief. Emmet slowly started to relax. “This isn’t so bad,” he decided after a while.

“Aye, tis pleasant here.”

“How you doin’, B?” Benny radioed. “Holding up okay?”

 _“We’re doing just fine, Ben,”_ he responded after a minute. _“Is something the matter?”_

“Nah, just checking in, it’s been a bit. We haven’t found another of those pedestals yet, or the door.”

_“…It hasn’t even been half an hour yet. You said yourself there’s a lot of ground to cover. Have some patience.”_

“Goodness, Benny, can’t even go half an hour without hearing his voice?” Unikitty quipped. That got some interesting reactions out of the group. Metalbeard burst into laughter as Benny turned bright red, hunching his shoulders. Business smirked at him, Lucy wheezed, and Emmet simply looked lost.

“What’s so funny?”

“Emmet, you are my new best friend now,” Benny huffed and floated over to the construction worker. “The rest of you? You’re all jerks. You better not breathe a _word_ to him.” That just prompted more laughter, and Emmet pouted.

“Seriously, I don’t get it…”

“Never you mind,” Benny soothed. “It’s not important.”

It wasn’t long after that they found a second pedestal, leaving Metalbeard behind. Unikitty pranced ahead, smirk still firmly in place as Benny tagged along at the end, arms folded across his chest. He stayed with the third just to get away from them.

The remaining four made their way deeper into the ravine, the light growing dimmer as they descended. There were fewer pre-existing bridges in the lower levels, making it more difficult to get back and forth across the swamp they could now see at the very bottom. Finally, they hit a dead end. “How are we supposed to get across?” Business asked, frowning.

“I have an idea,” Lucy said, and headed back up the path. Emmet and Business watched her go with curiosity. A minute later they heard a sharp _CRACK!_ and a dead tree trunk came flying back down the path. Emmet yelped and tackled Business out of the way. He stared back up at Emmet, wide-eyed.

“That was a close call.” Emmet just nodded, too surprised to speak, and let him back up. Lucy came back, humming to herself, and hefted the trunk from where it landed in a bed of ferns. “Watch where you’re throwing things!”

“Quit whining,” she shot back, laying the log across the gap. “I made us a bridge, didn’t I?”

“After you nearly hit me with it!”

“Alright children, settle down,” Unikitty said. “Don’t make me turn this adventure around!”

“As if,” Lucy scoffed, following her across the log. On the other side, a set of stairs was carved into the stone. Unikitty raced ahead, bolting up the stairs and further down the path.

“There’s another one right up here!” she yelled back. The three humans glanced at each other.

“So who’s staying behind this time?” Business asked.

“I will,” Lucy offered. “I just hope there’s enough of us to man all of these pedestals we keep finding.”

“We really should work on finding that door,” Business sighed. “Maybe it’ll show how many of them there are around here.”

“Be careful,” Emmet told her, giving her a hug. She smiled and pecked his cheek.

“I’ll be fine.” She climbed up the stairs, taking Unikitty’s place at the pedestal. “So Business just brought up a pretty good point.”

“What’s that?”

“You three should probably work on finding the door the clue told us about, he thinks maybe it’ll show how many of them there are. I mean, how do we even know there’s enough of us to solve it?”

“That is a good point…” Unikitty hummed. “Well, okay. I never know what the magic is leading to, but we’ll stop leaving people behind until we know how many there are! If we find more pedestals before we find the Thing, we’ll just come back to them later!”

 _“Guuuys I’m bored,”_ Benny complained over the radio. _“How many more are there to find?”_

“We’re working on finding that out now,” Lucy responded. “We just found a fourth and I’m staying put, the other three are going to try to find the door, Business thinks it might have some sort of indication of how many there are. Which is a good idea cause we’re starting to run out of people now.”

 _“I thought that’s what we were doing in the first place?”_ Bad Cop asked.

“Unikitty can’t distinguish what the magic is leading to, there’s no indications of what’s at the end until we actually reach it. They’re going to stick together until they find the door, though. Hopefully it’s not much further away.” Lucy sat on the ground, settling in to wait, and continued just chatting with the rest of their group scattered through the ravine.

It was nearly an hour and a half later that they finally reached the very end of the path. “What do you know, it actually _is_ a door,” Business muttered to himself. A large one at that, with the same hand symbol as the pedestals in its center, a ring around it with Atlantean number-glyphs, six in all.

“Huh,” Unikitty said, tilting her head to the side. “That… can’t be coincidence.”

“What I was just thinking,” Business agreed. He pressed his palm to the symbol and it started to glow. The ring began to rotate, each glyph lighting up in turn as it completed its rotation. “Benny, I think you were right about having to press them in order.”

 _“But how do we know what order to press them in?”_ Metalbeard asked.

“Hang on a minute…” Business turned to Unikitty and Emmet. “Unikitty, can you take Emmet back to the second to last pedestal? Then go to the last one yourself? I have an idea how to tell which ones are which, but it will require someone being at each one.”

“Got it!” she chirped. “Come on, Emmet! We’re almost done!”

“Thank goodness for that…” After a few minutes, he broke the silence with an “I’m in position.” It was another twenty before Unikitty finally announced she was in place.

“Alright, everyone. When I call your name, touch your pedestal, and I’ll tell you which light you are on the door. Bad Cop?” A moment, then one of the lights glowed. “Alright, you’re three. Metalbeard.” A pause. “You’re one. Benny? …You’re six. Lucy- you’re two. Emmet, you’re four, so Unikitty, you’re five. Everyone ready?” There was a chorus of affirmations, and he pressed his hand to the symbol once more, calling out each other number as its corresponding light lit up. Unlike the test run, the lights continued to glow at the others’ touches, and finally as it passed the sixth light, there was a _clunk_ and the door slid away. “Got it!” he cheered. “Alright everybody, get down here!” It took a while for them all to gather once again, as Metalbeard and Bad Cop especially had quite a ways to go.

One by one they filed through the door. “I wonder if this is another section of the temple,” Business mused.

“I can feel the magic so much more strongly here, guys!” Unikitty gasped. “Gosh, it’s almost giving me a headache, there’s so much of it!” They entered another chamber, and just like the entrance, torches lit up to allow for some visibility. Unikitty closed her eyes in concentration and her horn began to glow, brighter than they’d ever see it before- likely in response to the magic of the place. Blue light swirled around them. Shapes began to form in the light, many of them Atlantean glyphs, but in the center of the room a massive shape took form.

“What is that?” Emmet asked. “Is that supposed to be a… a cave?”

“An island,” Benny informed him.

“A _floating_ island,” Metalbeard specified with a groan of dismay. He pointed out little animated bits falling off of it. “Those be waterfalls, I bet ye.”

“That does pose a problem,” Lucy agreed. “Sure, Bad Cop has his flying car, and Benny has his spaceship, but even both of them together aren’t going to be big enough to carry _all_ of us up there.”

“What if we combined them?” Bad Cop suggested. “I know Metalbeard has enough spare parts lying around to add to that, so we could likely Build something about the size of the Kragleizer.”

“Oh! That could work!” Benny bounced.

“Aye, actually, it could,” Metalbeard agreed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “So all we have now is an image of a floating island. No directions on how to get to it?”

“That’s actually what these glyphs are,” Business pointed out. “They’re numbers- coordinates. Latitude, longitude… Altitude.” He pulled out his notebook and scribbled them down for Metalbeard to see. The captain retrieved a map from his chest, spreading it out on the floor, and looked at the notepad. He hummed to himself as he searched for the location they pointed out.

“Oh ye’ve gotta be bloody kidding me,” he groaned, snatching his hat off his head and throwing it on the ground. “It’s got to be a prank!”

They leaned over the map to see what he was griping about, only to see the location he’d circled was in the dead center of the three trials they had already completed. “Three trials forming a triangle, with the fourth in the middle… if I be right, we’ve been sailing right around Atlantis all this time!”

“That’s…!” Bad Cop looked ready to start snarling, then eased the angry tension out of his posture. “Devious, really. Clever.”

“But important,” Unikitty said. “The other two had magic generators- so does this one. Turning them on might be important to actually reaching Atlantis. Each creates a lot of power on its own, but if this last temple has one too, well, maybe it’ll take all four to raise Atlantis above the water again. The keys, too. So we haven’t been doing this for nothing.”

“Well, let’s get that generator going and get the key,” Bad Cop said. “No telling how close those sky pirates are to catching up to us now. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were back at the entrance waiting for us already.”


	18. Constellations

Airheart and her crew were not, in fact, waiting for them back at the temple’s entrance, much to their collective relief. They decided to make camp there for the night before heading back to the shore in the morning, and hopefully avoid crossing paths with the sky pirates along the way.

Benny made his way outside as soon as he thought he would go unnoticed, heading for the canopy to stargaze, and get his thoughts in order. He was also still mad and didn’t care to be around his friends at the moment. Oh, he knew Unikitty was just heckling him- that had been a staple of their friendship pretty much since the moment they’d met- but her teasing had crossed a line this time. She had no right to call him out like that in front of the others…!

He didn’t bother to look as he heard faint puffing and the clattering of hooves against wood as the friend in question was trying to make her way up to his perch. “You’re not welcome,” he said as soon as she made it up to his branch.

“Oh, come on Benny,” she whined. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to climb trees with hooves?”

“Did it not occur to you that that’s maybe the point of my being up here?”

“Look, I’m sorr-”

“You had no right, saying something like that in front of everyone! I mean I don’t care that Jonas knows, he’s been my best friend as long as you have and probably figured it out already, but the others-”

Unikitty laid her ears flat and stomped a hoof on the branch, nearly shaking Benny off of it. “Won’t judge you for it either. The world’s not the way it was when you left it, Benny. You’re going to have to get used to that.” She sighed and sat down. “I _am_ sorry I embarrassed you, though. And I’ll make sure Lucy and Busy don’t say anything to Bad Cop until _you’ve_ told him.”

“I don’t know if I even will.”

“What? Why not?”

Benny shrugged. “I’ve been trying to give hints, nothing so obvious as to freak him out but not too subtle either. You know, try to gauge his reactions, but he hasn’t responded to _any_ of it. If anything, he just writes it off as one of my ‘quirks’ and continues on like it’s business as usual. I can’t get a read on him, and if he’s not interested… He’s a good friend, and I don’t want to risk losing that. Heh…” He pressed the heel of his palm into an eye. “Imagine that. Being Bad Cop’s friend started out as a chore, but now I can’t bear the thought of him _not_ being around…”

“Oh, Benny,” Unikitty cooed, and scooted forward to press her rough tongue to his forehead. “Come on. Metalbeard’s telling stories, maybe that’ll help distract you.”

“Better be a good one,” the spaceman mumbled, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her fur. She nudged him onto her back and leapt back to the ground, landing light as a feather. “A thought occurs to me,” he said as he slid back onto the ground. She looked at him expectantly. “How come you’re giving _me_ crap, but not Emmet and Lucy?”

“Well, one, Emmet and Lucy are already together- but you can bet your lucky stars I will be _shrieking_ the moment those two finally have their first proper kiss.” She grinned and bounced, and Benny laughed.

“Yeah, I can believe that. Two?”

“You’re my best friend and it’s practically my _job_ to give you crap about your crushes. Besides, you’re just sooo cute about it I can’t help myself!” She giggled as he turned red again and gave her a shove.

“Shut up, ‘Kitty…” She snickered and pranced back inside.

He took a moment to compose himself before following her. Sure enough, Metalbeard was in the middle of one of his favorite tales- the almost-prank-war. Much as he liked to gripe about Benny’s mischief, he also took great pleasure in seeing it unleashed on others, especially those particularly deserving of it.

There’d been a good reason Caesar had permanently banned Benny from Pirate’s Cove, after all.

“Ah, there ye be, Benny!” Metalbeard called out over the others’ laughter. “I saved me best tale for last, almost thought ye’d miss it!”

“You mean the prank war _isn’t_ your best story?” Benny chuckled. “Sure seems to have slayed them.” Emmet in particular was doubled over wheezing, tears streaming down his face as he tried to catch his breath.

“That was definitely… _inventive_ ,” Bad Cop remarked, looking immensely amused. “Seems this Caesar doesn’t like being out-pranked.”

“Not especially, no,” Benny agreed, sitting down to join the circle. “So which one is it, Metalbeard? The zombie pirates? The cursed treasure? The raid on Octan Tower?” That one was met with a chorus of annoyed groans, and Benny grinned. “Oh, how about that one with the lady you kept flirting with who turned out to be a-”

“Hush, Benny,” Metalbeard interrupted, and the astronaut snickered. “Nay, it be the tale of when we first met.”

“Ooooh.” Benny bounced.

“I’m guessing it’s a very interesting one, if that devious grin Benny’s sporting is any indication,” Business said.

“Oh it is. Cause it’s also the story of how I escaped Bad Cop the first time.”

“…Oh good lord,” the cop in question groaned, facepalming as Benny cackled in delight, and his former employer looked positively eager to hear it.

“Is this the story you were telling me about a while back?”

“They told you?” Bad Cop sulked.

“Teased me with it more like, they wouldn’t give me a single detail…”

“Shh!” Unikitty scolded, and Metalbeard started his tale.

“So this was about five years ago, just as Bad Cop was really startin’ to whip his robot forces into shape. Me crew and I fled beyond the Tower, hopin’ he wouldn’t follow us into uncharted territory. We did manage to lose him in the fog, but only for a short while. We chanced upon a small island, when me lookout spotted what be a fancy coffin washed up on the beach! Naturally we had to go take a look, couldn’t leave a soul lost at sea. Still dunno how we managed it, but we got it opened, and inside was Benny. Imagine our surprise when he was still breathing! So we bring him aboard, tend to him as best we can. He wakes up right soon- just as Bad Cop catches up to us again.” Emmet snuggled up close to Lucy, eyes wide.

“Oh no!”

“Oh yes!” Metalbeard crowed. “Nearly caught us that time, he did!”

“I _did_ almost have you,” Bad Cop muttered bitterly, “if it hadn’t been for that lunatic.” Benny only snickered in response.

“This is the best part,” the astronaut whispered to Emmet.

“So Benny takes one look at Bad Cop and his troops, and off he goes, trying to use his jetpack and his _own head_ to ram Bad Cop’s cruiser, playin’ chicken with him,” Metalbeard snickered.

Benny cackled. “Yeah, and I don’t think I’ll _ever_ forget that look of shock on your face,” he teased. Bad Cop scowled back at him in response.

“Bad Cop goes down to avoid him, and Benny shoots straight into one of the robots’ transports, has it apart quick as lightning.”

“He used the electrical cables from that transport to make a tripwire and took out three more in one go,” Bad Cop grumbled. “Then set off a fuel explosion that blew up another four. I’d never been more embarrassed.”

“Hey, who’s tellin’ the story?” Metalbeard snapped. “Anyway- next thing we know he’s comin’ back loaded down with bits of shrapnel and wire and engine parts, and he’s got me puttin’ propellers on me ship! And there’s an engine in me cargo hold! He sets that lever up by the helm and in a blink we be off, leavin’ Bad Cop and his robots in our wake. Saved our skins, he did.”

Somehow during the telling, Benny made his way over to drape himself over Bad Cop’s back, chin resting on his head and arms draped loosely over his shoulders. To his credit, Bad Cop didn’t even bat a lash at it. Business was smirking at his former henchman. “Well, I can see now why _that_ incident didn’t get reported. Goodness, that’s humiliating.”

“Well, it worked out for the best anyway,” Emmet piped up. “If Benny hadn’t been part of our team, we never would have succeeded in stopping you from Kragling the world, and we wouldn’t be here now enjoying each other’s company.”

“Speaking of which,” Lucy sat up, looking at him, “you never did tell us what happened after you fell into the Infinite Abyss.”

“Aye lad, I’d be curious to know, too,” Metalbeard added.

“And me!” Benny chirped.

“Well… It was very disorienting at first. Everything was enormous, and I couldn’t budge a muscle! And then I got stepped on by a giant!” He was met with gasps of horror. “But somehow I didn’t get squished. And then he picked me up and I thought he was going to _eat me_ , but he just… smiled at me, and said ‘hi, Emmet!’ Like we were old friends.”

“Was it The Man Upstairs??” Unikitty gasped.

“No, he was just a little boy,” Emmet said. “I think his name’s Finn.”

Benny felt Bad Cop stiffen under him. “Huh? What is it?”

“The boy who makes the stories…” Bad Cop mumbled, drawing the others’ attention. Emmet’s eyes went wide.

“Did you meet him too??”

“No, I didn’t meet him.” Bad Cop frowned. “But I think I _did_ have a dream about him. When I was in the hospital. He was… saying something… I don’t think I ever quite caught what, but then, I don’t think it was directed at me in the first place.”

“Keelan?” Lucy guessed.

“Yes.”

“Who’s Keelan?” Metalbeard asked.

“Can we meet him??” Emmet was giving him such an earnest look, he couldn’t find it in him to say ‘no’ outright.

“…Let me find out if he’s up to it.” **_Would you like to meet the others?_**

_ …thEy won’T laUGh? _

**_They won’t laugh, promise._** “Be nice, and _don’t_ crowd him,” Bad Cop instructed before switching out. Keelan hunched in on himself at Business’ shocked staring, but relaxed when he caught Lucy’s reassuring smile and felt Benny’s arms wrap around him to give him a squeeze.

“So, uh.” Business cleared his throat. “You’re Keelan?”

“I’m Emmet!” the Special introduced himself, holding out a hand. After a bit of prompting, Keelan took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you!”

“Um, nice to meet you…”

“So we didn’t exactly have proper introductions last time, but my name’s Lucy, and the nerd who’s currently got himself wrapped around you is-”

“Benny,” Keelan finished, smiling sheepishly. Said ‘nerd’ snickered. “I- I know. Cary, um, Cary told me.” He looked around at the group. “And- and you’re, um, Metalbeard, and you’re Unikitty, and you’re- you’re _Business_.”

Business slumped. “Not even a first-name basis?” he pouted.

“Well what did you expect?” Benny smirked. “B’s still kinda ticked off at you, and the kiddo here only knows what B will tell him.” He ruffled Keelan’s hair. “Don’t worry, he’s really not so bad once you get to know him.” Keelan reached up and smoothed his hair back into place without a word. “You getting used to everything okay?”

“Y-yeah. Cary makes it easy.”

“You know, I never would have thought that under all the claws and the teeth and the grrr that Bad Cop’s really a big softie,” Emmet mused. “I mean, once you actually get on his good side, anyway. He’s kind of terrifying otherwise.”

“But he’s _not_ scary.”

“Maybe not to you, sweetie, but we kind of have _history_ together,” Lucy explained. At Keelan’s confused look, she shook her head. “It’s a long story, and it’s in the past anyway. We’re friends now, so it’s nothing you’ll have to worry about.”

“Okay…”

~* *~

The trek back to the shore was surprisingly uneventful. As each day passed without sign of the sky pirates, their spirits continued to lift with the hope that they’d given them the slip entirely. Between the trip being almost entirely downhill, and their renewed energy, they made it back a day early. Benny was practically vibrating with his excitement and eagerness to build another spaceship, babbling out ideas as fast as they came to him.

“-and a talking computer! I’ve always wanted one of those! I should put laser turrets on it too- oh, what if we rigged some sort of EMP gun, give those sky pirates a taste of their own medicine? What do you guys think?”

“We should make it rainbow colors!” Unikitty enthused.

“I fully defer to you on this, Ben, you’re the expert on spaceships here,” Bad Cop spoke up as the others maintained exasperated silence.

“It’s gonna be my best one _ever_ I just know it- ow!” He’d collided with Metalbeard’s back as the captain stood frozen at the tree line. “What the heck?” he complained.

Metalbeard stared out at the ocean in horror. “Me ship…!”


	19. Cannon In D Minor

Benny floated up to see what he was talking about. “Oh, no…”

There were several more gasps as the others stepped out from behind him, and were treated to the view of the Sea Cow’s wreckage floating in the water, washing up on shore. The cyborg pirate let out a bellow of anguish, and didn’t have the time to react before he was shot for a third time, collapsing with a crash. Unikitty screeched out a war cry and galloped down onto the beach, followed closely by Lucy and Benny and Bad Cop. She snarled as she barreled right over one of the pirates, baring fangs and claws for the fight. Bad Cop had drawn his gun and stunned several more before Airheart engaged him herself. Emmet hesitated for only a moment longer before running out onto the beach as well.

Business ducked into the undergrowth the moment the fighting broke out, patting his pocket for the key he carried. Satisfied it was still there, he took stock of the situation. It was complete mayhem, that perhaps being their only saving grace from the pistols the sky pirates carried- they didn’t want to risk hitting one of their own in the madness. His gaze drifted over to where Metalbeard had collapsed and was now screaming insults, the only contribution he could make while immobile. An idea started to form.

He made his way over to his fallen friend, taking care to remain unseen. Metalbeard’s hollering faltered as his frame shifted suddenly, and he looked down to see Business rearranging him so his gun arm was propped up on one of his legs. “What are ye doin’?”

“Once upon a time, I was friends with two very dedicated cops, who thought it to be in my best interests to learn how to defend myself. So they taught me how to shoot.” He sounded so eerily calm as he took aim, and Metalbeard finally caught on- of course! That gun could still be fired manually! Business squeezed the trigger, and Flea went down with a curse and a shower of sparks. “Not that I ever needed a _gun_ before, but I suppose it’s the thought that counts.” He aimed again, and another pirate fell with a scream.

Airheart growled to herself as she heard the gunshots ringing out over the beach.. She had to put an end to this, fast. Ducking inside Bad Cop’s reach she elbowed him hard, knocking the wind from him, and snagged his laser pistol from its holster as he fell to one knee gasping for breath. She aimed and fired and he tumbled over, paralyzed from the stunning blast. Lucy, Benny, and Unikitty went down quickly soon after, then Emmet as he ran to Lucy’s side. “Now for you,” she growled, drawing her own pistol and pointing it toward Business. He jerked away from Metalbeard with a sharp gasp, clutching at the hole in his shoulder.

“I think I’ve about had enough of this game,” Airheart announced. “It’s time to put an end to this. You’ve solved three of the trials so far; congratulations. But Atlantis is _mine_. And you, Business, are going to help me get it.”

“You seriously think I’m going to agree to that after you just _shot_ me?!” he hissed back, shaking.

“You act as though I’m giving you a choice. You, my friend, have shown some aptitude, but I’m not about to let _these_ wannabes take _my_ discovery!”

“Technically it _is_ _our_ discovery,” Benny pointed out. “We’re the ones who did all the work solving the clues and finishing the trials-” He yelped as she fired on him again, and fell silent, knocked unconscious.

Out of the corner of his eye, Business saw movement, but kept his glare trained on the sky pirate captain. “You’re going to regret doing that,” he warned. Airheart’s crew didn’t even notice, attention away from those they no longer considered a threat, until Bad Cop had leaned on her, letting his weight topple her over. She went down with a startled shriek, her gun skittering out of reach. He wrestled his own back from her, keeping her arm pulled painfully behind her back.

“You really think we’re after something so petty as getting our names put in history books?” the cop growled. She couldn’t see his face, from the way he’d come up behind her, but the fury in his voice was unmistakable. She struggled to get out from under him, but even with unresponsive limbs, he was doing a remarkable job of keeping her pinned. He was heavy, and tall, and determined not to let her get away.

“How are you even moving?!” she screamed.

“You wouldn’t believe the things I had to go through when I was still hunting Master Builders,” he spat at her. “They’re a creative lot with no compunctions about hitting back and _making it hurt_. Some of them even tried to kill me a few times. And if that wasn’t enough, President Business only gave us the _barest minimum_ amount of time to recover before we were forced back out into the hunt, and that usually meant taking just long enough to put stitches in and wrap gauze around injuries before we were back on the streets, still bleeding and exhausted. So I got _good_ at pushing us along through whatever handicaps we were suffering.” His voice lowered, and it was the most terrifying thing she’d ever heard. “And you’re _still_ getting between me and what I want.”

“…It wasn’t the notes you were talking about back then, was it?” she ventured. “It took me a while to remember since we so rarely saw him. Isn’t there supposed to be a Good Cop as well?”

There was a beat of stillness, then she felt the barrel of the laser pistol pressed to the base of her skull. “I always wondered what one of these would do when fired _point blank_.”

She let out a hysterical laugh, bordering on panic. “I stand by what I said before- you would make a fantastic pirate, my friend. Ever consider a career change?”

“ _No._ ”

“Cary.” The call was just enough to get his attention. Bad Cop paused in confusion and looked around, to see Emmet struggling to push himself back to his feet. Airheart squirmed to turn to look at him as well, eyes wide in surprise as the Special managed to get himself upright. “Please put the gun down.” There was a slight tremor in Emmet’s voice, but otherwise he was doing a remarkable job of keeping his tone even and calm. Airheart flinched as Bad Cop snarled, but did as asked anyway. Emmet staggered forward a few steps, and Stevenson turned toward him, pistol aimed.

“You stop right there!” the sky pirate barked. Emmet just gave him a weary look.

“My friend is _hurt_. I just want to help him.”

“Emmet- Emmet, take my jacket,” Lucy called out. “Put pressure on it to stop the bleeding.” He nodded and dropped down beside her, pulling the hoodie from where she’d tied it around her waist before shoving himself back to his feet and slowly making his way to where Business sat, looking pale. He dropped back down at his side, carefully pressing the hoodie against both sides of his shoulder. Business looked almost like he might faint from the pain, but still managed not to make a sound.

“…I don’t get it,” Airheart said after a moment. “What are you playing at, Special?”

“You asked where Good Cop was. Well, that’s what we set out to do. We’re trying to bring him back. That’s all we want, not some ‘claim to fame’ or whatever.”

“Speak for yourself,” Business muttered.

“Shh. I’m trying to make a point here.” He turned back to Airheart. “This would all go so much better if you’d _help_ us, rather than trying to stop us at every opportunity. In the end, we all want the same thing, right? To find Atlantis. And yeah, Sirius’ interest in ancient cultures and languages was a huge help, but it took _all_ of us to solve the temples. I think that’s the point of it, really. And the last one can only be that much easier if we joined forces, right?” He held a hand out toward her. “What do you say, can we work together on this?”

There was silence for a few moments, then Airheart began to struggle again, trying to kick Bad Cop. “Get off me, you goon!” she snapped. He snorted and shoved off of her, sitting up with a scowl. “Cripes, you’re heavy…”

“So are you helping us or not?” he demanded. Unikitty regained feeling in her limbs first, shakily making her way back onto all fours before moving closer to help Emmet with Business.

“ _Fine_ , if it’ll get _him_ to quit making the puppy eyes at me,” she huffed. “Alright gents, let’s round up our walking wounded and get everyone to Doc that needs to see her.” She directed her crew in helping the Master Builders onto the Sky Rogue, but they backed off when Bad Cop gave them a terrifying glare as they tried to approach Benny.

“You won’t be touching him,” he snapped, and moved to lift the unconscious astronaut. It helped that, even out cold, he had a tendency to float. Lucy managed to get her feet under her and stumbled over to his side, grabbing his arm when her legs nearly gave out again. “You alright?”

“Legs don’t quite want to work right, yet,” she huffed. “Sorry. Think he’ll be okay?”

“He will be. No telling when he’ll wake up though, it always was different for everyone. Emmet was out for several hours.”

Lucy frowned up at him. “You did that to Emmet?”

“When I took him into custody. It seemed the safest way to get him to stop convulsing.” They glanced over at Metalbeard’s indignant sputtering as he was dragged along the beach, and Lucy let out a giggle. Unikitty came up on Bad Cop’s other side, taking care not to jostle her passenger. Emmet walked alongside them, helping to keep Business steady. “I have to say Emmet, that was very impressive, getting up and walking like that so soon.”

“Yeah,” Lucy added, leaning around to catch his gaze. “How did you do that?”

Emmet blushed. “Well, I just… I _had_ to. Like when I fell through the Infinite Abyss. You guys needed help, and I had to get Finn’s attention somehow… It took a _lot_ of focus, though. It was the same this time- Sirius was really hurt, and _someone_ had to get to him.”

“Still really hurt…”

“Shhh,” Unikitty soothed. “I’ll take a look at that as soon as we’re settled. You’ll be fine.”

“Shouldn’t your _friend_ there be going to the infirmary with the others?” Airheart questioned, giving them a skeptical look.

“You’re not touching him either,” Bad Cop growled. “There best be some place on that ship where we can all stay together.”

“You all act like you don’t trust me.”

“You haven’t exactly given us reason to,” Emmet pointed out.

Airheart rolled her eyes, but took them to the unused mate’s quarters. The space was just large enough for them all to fit, with a little elbow room. As soon as the sky captain had left them alone, Bad Cop set Benny down with Lucy and Emmet, and moved over to Business to inspect his shoulder, peeling away the black material. He fished out his pocket knife and used it to carefully cut away the ruined fabric of Business’ shirt. Emmet swallowed hard and looked away. “Well, the good news is it went all the way through.”

“That’s _good_ news?”

“Means we don’t have to poke around to dig a bullet out.” Business turned green at the thought. “Among other things. Unikitty?”

“On it.” She stepped in as Bad Cop moved away again to give them space, pointing her horn toward the wound. It glowed with soft white healing magic, and Lucy watched with fascination as the torn flesh knit itself back together. As Business began to shake, Bad Cop reached over and tore the blanket off the sole bed in the quarters, wrapping it around him.

“Easy, Sir…”

“Is it over?” Emmet asked, still not looking.

“Yeah, it’s over.”

“I feel sick,” Business complained. Lucy was quick to locate a bin and slide it over to him.

“Aw man, please don’t throw up, you’ll make _me_ sick,” Emmet whined. Business simply groaned in response and rested his forehead against Unikitty’s shoulder.

“Oh stars, my head hurts,” came Benny’s voice, and almost as one they turned to see him sitting up from where he’d been slumped against Emmet. “Anybody get the number off that freight train?”

“It goes by the name Airheart,” Bad Cop said dryly. “I’ll see about getting some water for that.” He poked his head out the door, looking for one of the sky pirates.

“We’re moving; I can hear an engine. Where are we?”

“Aboard the Sky Rogue,” Emmet answered, and Benny finally cracked an eye open to look at him.

“They captured us?”

Metalbeard snorted, gaining Benny’s attention. “Hardly. More like Emmet speechified his way into getting us passage to the sky temple.”

The astronaut blinked at that. “Whoa, really? I’m kinda sad I missed that.” He turned his gaze to Business. “How’s the shoulder?”

“Better, now, thanks to Unikitty.” Bad Cop left the room entirely, and through the closed door they could hear him growling something at somebody, but couldn’t make out the words. Benny giggled slightly. The cop stepped back in a moment later, leaning against the wall facing the door with his arms folded across his chest. After a few minutes a rather frazzled-looking deckhand made his way in, bringing with him water and food and- of all things- Business’ insulated case. “Ooh. Give,” Business demanded, reaching for it.

“Your cop friend there is _terrifying_ ,” the deckhand announced before leaving once more. They waited in silence until they were certain he was out of earshot, then started laughing. Bad Cop smirked.

“Whatever gets the job done.”


	20. A Sailor's Prayer

It wasn’t long after that they were allowed access to the bathing facilities. Feeling better after scrubbing off the blood, Business had claimed the entire bed for himself and promptly fell asleep. They were content to leave him be.

Benny dropped himself down at Bad Cop’s side, hugging his knees as he sat in silence. Bad Cop glanced down at him, wondering what brought on this change; he’d seemed his usual perky self just a short time ago. “What’s wrong?”

“I was _really_ looking forward to building that spaceship,” Benny pouted.

Bad Cop sighed. “I know you were,” he said, giving the spaceman’s shoulder a commiserating squeeze. As Benny continued to sit in sullen silence, an idea started to form. “…I think I know something that will cheer you up.”

“What, more puns?”

Bad Cop seemed to deflate at that. “I thought you liked puns…”

Benny winced and backtracked. “I do, B, I just don’t think they’re gonna be enough of a distraction this time…”

“Well. I guess it’s a good thing that _wasn’t_ my idea this time, then.” Bad Cop got up and made his way over to the bedside, rooting through Business’ jacket for his notebook and pen. Benny watched in bemusement as he returned with his stolen prize in hand, and leaned over to get a peek once he’d sat back down and started sketching. His eyes went wide once the sketches were far enough along for him to recognize what they were of.

“Oh my stars B, that’s _brilliant_.” He bounced eagerly. “Oh I can’t wait!”

“Can’t wait for what?” Emmet asked, coming back into the room. Bad Cop flipped the notebook shut.

“It’s a surprise!” Benny giddily informed him.

Bad Cop chuckled. “Shush, Ben, you’ll wake up Business.”

“Right.” He fell silent, but kept up his excited bouncing. Emmet gave him a wary look. A hyper Benny spelled trouble.

The door opened again, admitting Metalbeard and the girls. Emmet motioned for them to keep their voices down, gesturing at Business dozing on the bed. “I say he’s got the right idea,” Metalbeard said as quietly as he could manage.

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked.

“We ought to be takin’ the opportunity to rest while we can. While that captain be repairin’ her first mate, this be the safest we’ll get.”

“And how do we know _they_ won’t take advantage and try to off us in our sleep?” Metalbeard plunked himself down in front of the door and gave her a challenging stare. She shrugged. “Alright then.”

There was some shuffling about as everyone made themselves as comfortable as possible. Unikitty curled up on the rug, Emmet and Lucy snuggled against her side. Benny scooted in closer and leaned against Bad Cop. He was still practically vibrating from excitement though, and not likely to rest any time soon. “Ben, would you _calm down_ ,” Bad Cop sighed.

“I can’t help it,” the spaceman pouted.

“What be the matter, lad?”

“It’s a surprise,” Emmet answered for him. “I don’t know _what_ the surprise is, but he was awful excited about it when I got back.”

Metalbeard sighed. “If I sing ye a song, will ye sleep then?”

Emmet looked intrigued at that. “You can sing?”

The cyborg shifted at that. “Well. I be no _siren_ , but I can hold a tune, at least.”

“Pleeeaaaaase,” Benny begged.

“Only one verse,” Metalbeard warned, then began to sing. “ _Though my sails be torn and tattered, and my mast be turned about, though the night wind chill me to my very soul, though the salt spray sting my eye, and the stars no sight provide, give me just enough morning light to hold. For I will not lie me down, this rain a-ragin’, I will not lie me down in such a storm. And if this night be unblessed, I shall not take my rest until I reach another shore._ ”

“Appropriate,” Bad Cop commented, glancing down at a now-drowsy Benny. Emmet yawned widely and curled in close to Lucy, who gave him a sleepy smile. Unikitty had already dozed off.

“Ye should get some rest too, matey,” Metalbeard told him. “We’ll be needin’ ye fresh and alert.”

“I make no promises, but… I’ll try.”

Though he felt at ease, sleep evaded him, and nearly an hour after the others had passed out he found himself still wide awake. Benny had somehow migrated from his side to his lap, using him as a pillow and drooling all over his t-shirt. He heaved a sigh, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling, and wrapped an arm around the spaceman, his free hand carding through ginger curls.

“Can’t sleep?” Metalbeard asked softly.

“No…” He looked over at his pirate friend, and was greeted with an amused look. “What?”

“He’s quite attached to ye.”

“I know… Though I _still_ don’t understand why.” 

“Ye be a better man than ye think, Bad Cop.” Bad Cop gave him a dubious look and didn’t answer. “I may only have one eye, but I’m not _blind_. Sure, ye be downright _terrifyin’_ when the mood takes ye. But ye’ve shown patience with Emmet, acceptance of Benny and Unikitty and their quirks, support to Lucy, and even concern for Business.”

“I also destroyed Unikitty’s home, captured and almost killed all of you Master Builders, and helped to nearly bring about the end of the world,” Bad Cop muttered. “And I was _glad_ to do it. There’s a reason why I’m the _Bad_ Cop.”

Metalbeard tilted his head. “Lad, I’ve been around long enough to remember what the world was like before Business took over. Like Benny and Emmet, I weren’t always a Master Builder either. Maybe Bricksburg was a little calmer, but the other realms were absolute chaos. Ye saw Cloud Cuckooland. _Someone_ needed to bring back balance, and ye and Business were the only people with enough guts to try it. Obviously ye thought ye were doin’ the right thing.”

“Then why did you try to attack Octan Tower?”

“Cause ye crossed the line from ‘balance’ to ‘extreme order’ and that’s not a good thing either.” Bad Cop fell into thoughtful silence, glancing down as Benny stirred in his hold and snored. Metalbeard smirked at the look of exasperated fondness that settled over his face. “Ye’ve become quite attached to him too, methinks.”

“…I guess I have,” Bad Cop admitted. “Would explain why I haven’t shoved him off for _drooling all over me_.” Metalbeard snickered, and he sighed. “I’ve never been this close to anyone outside of my family, before. It’s… different.”

“But not bad?”

“No.” He hugged Benny close. The spaceman shifted and murmured sleepy nonsense. “Definitely not bad.”

~* *~

Airheart finally set her tools down and took off her welding gear, wiping away sweat with the back of her arm so she didn’t get grease all over her face. She would have thrown the ridiculous robot in scrap heap if he hadn’t made himself so useful- she hated getting attached to things. People. Whichever; he didn’t quite seem to fit the bill for either. Yet here she was, using up resources and putting her plans on hold just to ensure he would be functionable again. “Why’d you have to go and get yourself shot. Stupid robot…” she grumbled as she powered him up again. “You’re lucky you make a better second in command than spare parts.”

“Love you too, Cap’,” Flea sassed, vocalizer spitting static. He reset it several times and sat up on the work table. “What’s got you in such a mood?”

“First of all, don’t you ever do that to me again!” she snapped, swatting at him with a protective leather glove. “Next time it really will be the scrap heap for you!”

“Aww, I knew you cared!”

“Shut up! I got conned into letting those _posers_ aboard my ship!” She threw her arms into the air, flinging her gloves to oblivion. She’d make him hunt them back down later, he knew. “He must have some sort of- mind powers, or something! Damn those eyes! And that cop is absolutely _infuriating_ , ordering around _my_ crew like they were his bots-”

“Amelia.” She turned back to him, scowling. “What the _hell_ are you talking about.”

“The Special! He managed to talk me into ‘working together’ or some such nonsense!” she exploded, grabbing at her hair. “Just- aaauuuugh! How does he _do_ that?!”

Flea couldn’t help it- he laughed. “Geez, Cap’, I don’t think I’ve _ever_ seen you this worked up. I thought you were enjoying the competition, though?”

“I was, until Business decided to show some initiative and start _shooting my crew_.”

“Alright, alright.” He reached over, taking her hands into his own. “Stop pulling your hair out, you’re too young to go bald yet. Look, this doesn’t completely derail everything. Atlantis is still yours.”

“It better be.”

“It _will_. Just play nice for now, they’ll never know what hit ‘em.”


	21. Sky Titans

****After giving the sky captain the coordinates for the floating temple, she had returned Business’ tablet as a peace offering of sorts. He glared at her suspiciously until she left, then sat down with it to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with. Satisfied that the device itself hadn’t come to any harm, he moved on to check his notes, and was surprised to see all the little additions she’d made. Most of it seemed to be on the culture and history he’d decided to wait on translating, and it proved a fascinating read.

They eventually left the cramped cabin to hang out on the deck, taking the opportunity to stretch their legs. It was surprisingly empty of any of the Sky Rogue’s crew; they had been expecting at least one chaperone to ensure they didn’t get into any place they weren’t wanted, but apparently Airheart had been overcome with a fit of generosity, and they were left to their own devices.

“I don’t like it,” Lucy said, leaning against the railing as Emmet was nearly hanging over it to take in the view. He glanced up at her as she spoke. “She has to be up to _something_. She’s being too nice, now.”

“Sirius was the same way, and you never complained about _him_ being up to something after he decided to be good.”

Lucy sighed, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Emmet, I know you have a tendency to see the best of people, but can you just… trust me on this? I can’t put my finger on it, but something about her just rubs me the wrong way. I don’t trust her at all.”

“Okay,” he agreed. She gave him a grateful smile and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Across the deck, Metalbeard glowered suspiciously at where Benny and Bad Cop were huddled over several sheets of paper. They were clearly plotting something- he _knew_ that twinkle in Benny’s eye- but he knew if he asked, Benny would just clam up. Bad Cop wasn’t likely to be any more forthcoming. He thought about wandering by in attempt to catch a glimpse of what they were working on, but decided against it. It’d be too obvious.

“Oh! Look, there it is!” Emmet gasped and pointed, drawing their attention. Sure enough, a surprisingly large island floated in the distance. Business shot to his feet and sprinted over to see it. Emmet grabbed him when he started to sway. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy, remember?” he admonished. Business waved him off.

“Not important.”

“You don’t want to pass out before we even reach the temple, do you?” Lucy teased.

He huffed at her. “I’m telling you, I’m _fine_.”

“If you don’t calm down, I _will_ tie you to the mast and make you sit this one out,” Bad Cop threatened and Business startled, turning to face him. Benny was coming up behind him, stuffing their papers into his suit. Business glared at him.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me, _Sir_.”

“Ugh, _fine_. I’ll ‘take it easy’ or whatever,” Business sulked. Benny giggled. Several of the sky pirates finally came out, preparing to moor the ship. They got out of the crew’s way to let them work, waiting impatiently for the chance to disembark. The moment the gangplank was lowered they were off, eager to explore the last temple. Already it was so different from the others, easily the largest of the four as it covered the entire island, and the outer walls were constructed of a pale, iridescent blue crystal, rather than the stone the other three used.

The sky pirates were quick to catch up to them. “Okay, Mr. Expert, what did your notes say about this one?” Airheart asked.

“That’s it’s going to be a lot more complicated than the other three put together,” Business answered, and she glowered at him.

“That wasn’t what I was asking.”

He smirked back at her. “I know.”

“Do I have to shoot you again?”

“That’s not likely to convince me to be any more cooperative.”

“ _Working together_ , remember?” Emmet reminded them.

“Well, since Busy apparently wants to be a brat with no sense of self-preservation-”

“ _Hey!_ ”

“-I’ll tell you what I can gather just from what I can see,” Unikitty said. “The material the walls are made of- it’s a type of crystal used in magic generators as an ‘insulator’, to keep the magic contained. I used it to build the silly cloud stabilizers when I built Cloud Cuckooland. So I’d venture a guess that this temple is all one giant generator!”

“Powerful enough to raise a city from the ocean?” Flea asked.

“Oh, definitely! That’s the other thing about that specific crystal- it’s most often used with one particular type of generator. The most powerful, but also the most _unstable_.” She was met with a crowd of horrified looks at that declaration, and waved them off with a giggle. “Oh don’t worry, I’m sure the Atlanteans would have taken all precautions when they built this! They wanted it to _last_ , after all.”

“What else can you tell us about it?” Airheart pressed, and Unikitty grinned.

“Nothing I can really _explain_ ; words won’t do it justice. It’s something you really just have to see.”

“Well then what are we _waiting_ for??” Business pouted. “Let’s get in there!” They approached the massive door, pausing just before it. It was covered in ornate carvings, which seemed to serve no purpose other than to simply be art. They could, however, make out three slots that were the perfect size for the keys.

Lucy looked at Unikitty. “Ready to test those replicas we made?”

“You bet!” They readied their keys as Business retrieved his from his pocket, and slid all three into place at once. They could hear the clicks of several locks opening, then rumbling as the door slid downward to permit entrance.

Lucy gasped as they stepped into an enclosed overlook, awed by the view before them. “Oh my,” Airheart breathed as she came up behind them. “That is… beyond incredible…” They gathered to stare at the massive transparent purple crystals that were sunk into the island itself, their points reaching far above their heads. The chamber walls were covered in elaborate glyphs carved into every surface, reaching from the floor up to where the domed ceiling segmented away from the walls. There was a structure at the top, with what looked like rotating rings holding magnifying lenses and mirrors of varying sizes, as well as folding arms to allow the sections of the ceiling to split open. Benny pushed himself off the floor, floating over the control panels to press his face to the glass-like panel and see further down into the chamber. Copper wires were wound around the base of the crystal formation, snaking down into the floor.

“So how does this work?”

“Unikitty?” Business called, and she turned toward him. “All I have is what the texts tell me, you seem to have actual experience with this…”

She nodded. “Doctor Fox tried to teach me and my brother how to make one of these, once. On a _much_ smaller scale, of course- easier to control if something goes wrong, and uh… We were experts at making things go wrong.” She smiled sheepishly. “Anyway! Though it was only ever that one time, I do actually remember a lot about it, cause it was actually pretty fascinating! Those crystals are _very_ rare, and with good reason. They can convert solar energy into magical energy through harmonic resonance. Basically, they sing! But if they’re out of tune, they sound _really horrible_. Like, worse than Benny’s singing horrible.” Benny blew a raspberry at her, and she grinned. “But that’s also where the whole ‘unstable’ bit comes in, cause if they’re not properly tuned, the vibrations from the resonance will eventually cause them to shatter and unleash a torrent of raw magical energy. Basically? _BOOM_. No more generator.”

“And do you know _that_ from experience?” Airheart drawled.

“Nah, Puppycorn and I actually got ours to work perfectly. As much fun as explosions are, we really wanted to see one in action.” She sighed softly. “We did learn another valuable lesson that day, though. See, we didn’t get it properly insulated, and even a generator as tiny as the one we’d made produces a _lot_ of energy. And to us hybrids, raw concentrated magical energy like that is kinda… poisonous. Kinda like when you humans are out in the sun too long and get heat stroke or something. So if these crystals need tuning, I won’t be able to help with that. You’ll have to find someone with a good ear.”

“The trail you followed back at the jungle temple didn’t seem to affect you much,” Bad Cop pointed out.

“That’s because that was refined and contained through a spell, made and laid down with the intention of being a guide. It _was_ almost enough to start giving me a headache though, and even Lucy said it made her feel jittery.”

“So we’ll have to tune the crystals,” Airheart noted. “Anything else?”

“There’s some electronics or circuitry or something, or at least the Atlanteans’ equivalent of it, under the crystal chamber’s floor,” Business added. “That’s something else we need to check to make sure it’s not damaged or left unfinished. And, once we have this thing powered up and ready to go, we need to make sure the beam is exactly aligned with the receiving tower to make sure it gets full power.”

“I’d be willing to bet that’s what all this is for,” Benny piped up, gesturing to the control panels as he set his feet back on the floor. “In fact I think this one has to do with those magnifying glass things in there.”

“Focusing lenses,” Unikitty told him. “As big as these crystals are, there’s no way we’re moving _them_ to tune, so they must already be in proper position. So I think the trick here is to use those mirrors to direct the sunlight to the crystals, then the focusing lenses to make sure the sun beams are strong enough to charge the crystals.”

“Maybe that means you _can_ help with this, then,” he said. “If this room’s insulated too, you can just control everything from in here and not have to worry.”

“Hmm, you’re right!” Unikitty chirped. “Okay! Airheart and I will work on that then, you guys go check to make sure everything below is in working order!”

“Aye aye, Princess,” Metalbeard chuckled, heading for the stairs with the rest of their team and Flea.

~* *~

‘Complicated’, it turned out, was something of an understatement. Benny facepalmed at the absolute mess that greeted them; it looked like the Atlanteans hadn’t even _finished_ the temple in the first place. It looked like they had just managed to bring all the wiring down, then left in a hurry. Flea took one look around and began laughing.

“Boy, they really left a disaster, didn’t they?”

“Something must have happened,” Emmet mused. “Something bad, that forced them to leave before they could finish. Why else would it be in such a state?” Business was looking around, trying to see if anything on the walls might hold clues as to what happened, but they were blank.

“Well, nothing for it,” Lucy sighed. “Let’s just get to work on finishing it. Maybe we’ll find out what happened in the city itself.”

Business passed his tablet over to Benny. “I was able to translate the original plans, but,” he shrugged. “It’s all in text. You might be able to make better sense of it than I can.”

“Oh, thanks.” Benny scrolled through, humming thoughtfully to himself. Emmet leaned over to give it a curious peek. “Okay, I think I got it. We need to get these wires to the mechanism underneath the crystals, that’s gonna direct the beam to the city. Get those attached where they need to be, then run the wire back in here to that conduit-” he pointed- “back up to the control panels so those get power too. I think the door to access it should be right about… here.” He pressed his hand to the crystal, and startled when it appeared to melt away. They gasped at the sudden wind that tore through the room.

There was a catwalk around the domed mechanism under the crystals, then under that, nothing but open sky. Emmet took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Just another job,” he told himself. “Just… walking the beams on another job… Nothing you haven’t done before… Okay! Let’s do this!”

“That’s the spirit!” Flea praised, and clapped the young man’s shoulder as he strolled out onto the catwalk. Benny fed the wires through where holes had been drilled near the ceiling. Business stood in the doorway, opting to simply watch and stay out of their way.

“We’re gonna have to pop one of those panels off the dome to get to the machinery underneath so we can actually attach the wire,” the spaceman instructed. Bad Cop nodded and pulled one off, pulling it behind the railing with Metalbeard’s help. Flea grabbed the first bundle of wires and hauled it over to begin placing it. When they had finished, they replaced the panel and moved on to the next section.

When they were done, Benny fed the extra wires back through the holes and zipped through the doorway to pull them over to the conduit and attach them.

“That didn’t take you long,” Business commented, watching him. “I was really expecting that to take you all a lot longer. You know, with not all of you being Master Builders.”

Benny grinned at him. “Amazing what people can accomplish under the guidance of someone who actually knows what they’re doing, isn’t it?” He moved to lean into the stairwell. “We’ve got it all put together now!” he called up. “Go ahead and open up the roof panels, Unikitty!”

“You got it!” she called back, and pulled down the switch. There was a loud groaning as the ancient mechanical arms folded down to pull the panels away, allowing sunlight into the chamber. There was a beat of silence, then a hum began to fill the air, swiftly followed by the most eardrum-exploding shrieking any of them had ever heard.

“Holy…!” Benny yelped, clapping his hands over his hears and sprinting back up the stairs to get away from the racket. The others were quick to follow, practically stampeding back into the control room. Bad Cop slammed the door shut behind them. They glanced at each other, wide-eyed, then began laughing. “Wow, you weren’t kidding,” Benny wheezed. “That _is_ bad.”

Unikitty grinned. “Told you,” she teased. “Now budge over, I need to fix that before it gets _really_ bad.” Benny scooted aside, letting her have the controls. They watched in fascination as she pushed buttons and turned knobs, directing the mirrors and lenses into place, and the cacophony slowly faded into something far more tolerable as the crystals began to glow.

“Oh _wow_ , look at that!” Emmet pointed into the chamber, as the glyphs covering the walls began to glow in response to the power the crystals were generating. By the time Unikitty finished, the humming had become a soothing tune. She glanced up. “What are they doing?”

“They’re ‘catching’ the energy and directing it downward- watch, you can see them kinda pulsing in that direction,” Unikitty explained.

“Oooh, I see! Very cool.”

“So all that’s left now is alignment, right?” Airheart asked.

“I think so,” Business answered. The sky captain nodded and stepped over to the other control panel, switching it on. She studied the controls and the ‘screen’ made of quartz, two dots flashing on it, one in red, one in blue. “One of those must be the receiving tower,” Business said as he scooted in closer for a look. She turned and gave him a pointed look, and he backed off again.

“Looks like these ‘fly’ the entire island.” She grabbed the two handles on the console, shifting them ever so slightly to the left. There was a subtle sensation of motion that followed, and she smirked. “Alright. Piece of cake.”

“Is the whole thing really moving??” Emmet asked, and ran back outside to see. “OH MY GOSH. You guys! This is incredible!! _The whole thing’s really moving!!_ ” Airheart rolled her eyes and returned her focus to making the two dots on the screen match up.

“That guy makes it _really hard_ to believe he’s the Special, sometimes,” she muttered. The console beeped and the two dots flashed purple, and she locked the temple’s location. “Alright everyone, this is it. The moment of truth.” She took a deep breath as she turned to face the Master Builders, trying to quell her excitement for just a little while longer. “Ready?”

“Hit it!” Unikitty shrieked, bouncing. Airheart threw the switch and the entire island jolted as it shot the beam down into the ocean.


	22. The Road of Trials

The rumbling continued for several minutes then slowly died down, and the dot on the screen flashed green before disappearing, and script began scrolling through. “What’s it say, Busy??” Unikitty asked, bouncing in place. He leaned over, silent for a minute as he tried to read it as quickly as it was scrolling by.

“It’s giving instructions,” he said at length, smirking.

“Ew, gross!” Unikitty whined. He laughed.

“I really don’t understand what you Master Builders’ aversion to instructions is all about. You talk about training to become one, but what’s training but just another type of instructions?”

Unikitty stared at him in horror, jaw working as she tried and failed to come up with a response to that. “Cat got your tongue?” Bad Cop asked, and she whirled to glare at him. Benny snickered, clapping a hand over his mouth when she turned that glare onto him.

“…Okay, that _was_ funny, but _not appreciated_. And you! Stop messing with my head like that!” Business grinned.

“So what do the instructions say?” Airheart asked, bringing them back on topic.

“They’re saying that ‘the platform has been raised’ and that it will require all four keys to ‘unlock’ Atlantis.”

“Okay, so where’s the fourth?”

“You have to _build_ it.”

“Is it showing another enchantment?” Unikitty asked.

“It is. It’s just showing the same thing over and over again, so it’ll come back up,” he explained as she scooted closer to see.

“Is there anything else?”

“There is. It’s describing a machine of some sort, that apparently never got finished.” He looked at Bad Cop. “I think that’s what we’re after. It’s telling us how to complete it.” Unikitty muttered to herself as she memorized the spell. “But there’s something… weirdly familiar about it.”

Benny tilted his head at that. “What do you mean?”

“The calibrations for the machine it mentions. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but…” Business shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll come back to me.” He set his tablet to record the instructions for later reference. Lucy began hunting around for any spare materials to create a key from.

Emmet returned to their group at that moment, cupping something in one hand. “Where did you get that?” Lucy asked upon seeing it was a chipped-off piece of blue crystal.

“Oh, it broke off while the thing was firing the beam down, I guess the vibrations shook it loose. I thought it was pretty, so I grabbed it-”

“Emmet it’s _perfect_ ,” she exclaimed, and kissed his cheek.

He looked bewildered. “It is? For what?”

“We have to make the key for the sky temple!” Unikitty chirped.

“Ohh, okay! What else can we use?”

“I think there was a few extra inches of that copper wire,” Benny mused, and floated back down to retrieve it. Bad Cop hummed thoughtfully, and wandered outside.

“What’s he doing…?” Airheart asked, watching him go.

“Showing off again,” Lucy sighed as they heard a faint thump from high up, tilting her head back to see a small shadow on one spot of the ceiling. She watched the dark spot move across the dome of the ceiling, making its way toward the opening.

“Ohh, be careful-!” Emmet gasped as he watched Bad Cop drop himself down onto one of the rings.

“I don’t think he can hear you, babe.”

They watched in baffled silence as he walked across the top ring, then climbed down to the lowest, taking off his sunglasses and sticking the folded arms between his teeth before swinging himself upside down. “I think I see what he’s after,” Business said, and pointed out an unused, cracked focusing lens just within Bad Cop’s reach. Benny came back up just in time to see him snag a fragment of glass from its frame.

“How the heck did he get up there??” Bad Cop righted himself again and tucked the shard into his shirt pocket before climbing back out.

“I have _no_ idea.”

“Here,” Bad Cop said when he came back in, handing the piece of the lens to Lucy. She took Benny’s bit of wire and set to work.

“Why didn’t you just ask me to go get that?” the astronaut huffed at him. “Would’ve saved a lot of trouble.”

Bad Cop shrugged. “I don’t like just standing around feeling useless.”

“There,” Lucy said when she finished.

“Very pretty!” Unikitty complimented, taking it as Lucy handed it over to her. Her horn glowed as she cast the spell, and the key flashed to show it accepted the enchantment. “Here.” She floated it over to Airheart, who looked surprised. “You can have this one.”

“Oh, ah… Thank you.” She took it, tucking it inside her jacket pocket. “Seems we’re done here, now. Shall we go?”

“Let’s,” Bad Cop agreed. “I am so ready for this to be _done_.”

“I’m sure,” Flea chuckled. “We’re so close!” They made their way back onto the Sky Rogue, where the rest of Airheart’s crew was talking excitedly and pointing down into the water. Business leaned over the railing to get a look at the platform. He could still make out the beam feeding energy down to it, looking more like heat waves shimmering in the air than anything.

“Take us down,” Airheart told Flea, and he made his way up to the helm. The ship slowly dropped down to the water, Flea nudging it as close to the platform as he could get it.

It wasn’t very large, just enough for a handful of people to stand on, and had a pedestal rising from the center. The pedestal itself was very simple, having four slots with a stylized handprint over each on its face, much like the ones in the jungle temple, with the beam of magic from above flowing into its very center. Lucy stepped down onto the platform, followed by Business, Emmet, Benny, and Airheart. They stared down at the pedestal, baffled.

“After everything, can it really be _that_ simple…?” Lucy mused.

“Only one way to find out,” Airheart answered, retrieving her key. Benny floated back out of the way as they stepped up to the pedestal. Together they inserted and turned the keys, palms pressed to the handprints, and the pedestal lit up. The ocean around them began to churn, water splashing up onto the platform and soaking their feet.

The splashes quickly turned into waves, and they hurried back onto the ship to avoid being swept into the water. All around them, as far as they could see, the water was frothing as the city below was dredged back up and pulled to the surface. Airheart could only stare wide-eyed and slack-jawed as the city slowly emerged. Behind her, the Master Builders stared, equally stunned. “We did it,” she whispered, sounding on the verge of tears. “We actually _did it_ …!”

The buildings were a slimy green shade from being underwater for so long, but it was easy to see where they had once been sparkling white stone. The streets were cobblestone, though it was hard to see through the sheer amount of sand and seaweed covering them. Once the tremors died down, they finally made their way out into the city.

“Where do we go from here?”

Business pulled out his tablet, going through the instructions again. “I think what _we’re_ looking for, at least, is going to be on the eastern edge of the city. But hey, _you’re_ free to go wherever you like, so why are you asking me?”

Airheart rolled her eyes at him. “Because I’m curious and I’d like to see how this ends for you guys. And maybe even help, if you’ll accept it.”

“I don’t know about that,” Bad Cop muttered.

“Well, suit yourselves. It’s still as good a place to start as any.” She gestured ahead. “You’re the man with the map; lead the way.” Business gave her a weird look, but walked ahead anyway.

Bad Cop glanced down at Lucy as they walked. She was wound up like a spring and ready to snap at the slightest provocation. Not that he could blame her; something about the situation seemed off to him as well. He touched her shoulder to get her attention, and tilted his head toward the back of the group. She nodded and fell back with him. Several of the sky pirates gave them wary looks as they passed, but otherwise didn’t interfere. “What?” she all but demanded, keeping her gaze on their friends.

“The city’s not the only thing that smells fishy,” he said after a moment, and she cracked a smile, looking up at him. He smiled back, but it was quick to fade. “You’re not wrong to be on alert, I think. Here.” He took his gun from its holster, almost pressing his side to hers as he placed it in her hands and showed her how to work it. “That turns off the safety. That switches the settings between stun and sting.”

“Cary, why-”

“Call it paranoia if you want. Just keep them safe,” he told her. She stared down at the unexpected gift for a moment, then huffed as she clipped it to her belt and wrapped her arms around him.

“You really _are_ a big softie,” she teased. “Don’t worry, they’re in good hands.”

“I know they are.” Lucy smiled at that, and jogged to catch back up to the group, slipping her hand into Emmet’s. He turned and said something to her that Bad Cop couldn’t hear, likely asking if everything was okay. Benny glanced back and caught him lagging behind, frowning in concern. He sighed and prepared himself for a barrage of questions as the spaceman held back, waiting for him to catch up.

“You okay?”

“Nervous, I guess.”

“I saw you gave Lucy your gun. What’s that about?”

“…A precaution.”

Benny was quiet as that sank in. “You think something bad’s gonna happen?”

“That’s just it, Ben, I don’t know what will happen. _Anything_ could. And I don’t trust Airheart to behave honorably should I be incapacitated. And-”

“I’d say you’re more than just ‘nervous’ if you need to hold my hand,” Benny teased gently, holding up their joined hands- Bad Cop’s left in Benny’s right. He sighed.

“He’s catching on quick…”

“What?” Benny’s humor faded to confusion.

“That’s the other thing I was about to say. Keelan’s panicking.”

The spaceman stared at him, uncomprehending. “B. ‘ _Splain_.”

Bad Cop breathed a quiet laugh at him. “It’s… a trick Alastar and I worked out. He’s left-dominant, I’m right. When I was fronting, he could take control of our left arm, and vice versa. Keelan’s figured out how to do it too, it seems.”

Benny looked back down at their hands. “…You said he’s panicking.” His shoulders slumped. “Poor kid.” He glanced back toward the group; no one seemed to notice they were missing for the time being. “Maybe I can try to calm him down?”

“I hope so, cause nothing I’m telling him is working…” Benny suddenly found his arms full of a trembling six-foot-four cop, and just barely managed to not let himself be bowled over.

“Whoa, easy there,” he soothed, rubbing Keelan’s back. “Come on kiddo, talk to me. What’s got you so wound up?”

“ _I don’t wanna be erased!_ ”

“Whuh…” Benny took a moment to process that, horrified at the very suggestion of it. “Who said anything about you getting erased?!”

“What if- what if they _have_ to, so- so Alastar can come back-”

“Now you hold on just a gosh-darned second, you don’t know that they will-”

“But I don’t know that they won’t either!”

Benny sighed. “Geez, no wonder B’s getting nowhere… Come on, sit down.” He lowered himself to the ground, pulling Keelan to sit with him. “And _calm_ down. Breathe with me- in… out… that’s it. Now you listen to me. It’s okay to be a little scared, _none_ of us knows what to expect from this thing. But I don’t think ‘The Boy’, or Finn, or whoever, would have sent you back just to take you away again. Every time he’s interfered with our world has been to _help_ , and I really don’t see how erasing you at this point is going to do anyone any good. Especially not B, lord knows he’d fight tooth and nail to keep you.” Keelan smiled a bit at that, and Benny smiled back. “That’s better. Everything will turn out just fine, you’ll see. Now. Where have you been _hiding_ all this time?”

Keelan blushed at having been caught out, burying his face in Benny’s shoulder. “…From the pirates,” he admitted, and Benny snickered.

“I don’t blame you for that. I’d hide from them too, if only just to _get rid_ of them. B and I have a plan for that, though.”

“I- I know.” He smiled. “I can’t wait.”

Benny grinned back, bouncing. “Neither can I. Feel better now?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Cause if we’re gone any longer they’re gonna come snooping, and I don’t think you want that. You better let your brother back out so we can catch up to the others.”


	23. Heart of Courage

Once they’d arrived at the half-finished machine, the Master Builders had sat down to figure out the instructions the sky temple had given. Emmet had Sirius’ notebook and pen, scribbling out the design as it was described to try to get a better idea what it was supposed to look like. What he ended up with looked like a gate of some kind, or a portal. The (poorly drawn, admittedly) illustration showed a platform with a number of arches over it, somewhat reminiscent of an atom.

Business was still stewing over the calibrations. “This is really bothering me,” he complained. “I _know_ this from somewhere, I’m sure of it, but why can’t I think of where I know it from…?”

“Don’t sweat it,” Benny said as he floated up behind Business, resting his folded arms on the former President’s head and peering down at the tablet, much to Business’ annoyance. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out when we fire the thing up.”

“Get off, Benny,” Business tried to shoo him away, ducking out from under the astronaut’s arms and flapping a hand at him as though he was a particularly annoying fly. “And I’d rather know what we’re getting into _before_ we ‘fire the thing up’. We don’t know what that thing will do to Bad Cop!”

Said cop arched an eyebrow over his aviators. “Well. Nice to know that _now_ you care.” Business flinched, even though his tone wasn’t at all hostile. He blinked when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get to work finishing the machine.”

“You got it!” Benny cheered. Emmet handed the notepad to Business, letting the former President supervise so he could help with the construction.

Airheart stood back, watching in fascination. “Penny for your thoughts?” Flea asked.

“It just…. Boggles my mind. They’re following instructions- and letting _Business_ take the lead. After everything he’s done to us, they _trust_ him. They’re _listening_ to him. And even _Bad Cop_ is building, what’s up with _that_?”

The robot shrugged. “I dunno, maybe he asked them to teach him?”

“I don’t know about that. He seems too sure of himself, like he’s done this a hundred times before.”

“So does The Special, and he _definitely_ wasn’t a Master Builder before Takos Tuesday.”

“He also worked in construction before,” she reminded him.

“Oh yeah…”

Under their joint efforts, the arches were quick to take shape. Sirius stepped over to the control console, powering it up and typing in the numbers on his tablet. “So,” Lucy said, stepping up to Bad Cop’s side, “when were you going to tell us?”

“Tell you what?” he asked, carefully casual. She scowled.

“That you’re a _Master Builder_.”

He sighed. “You can ream me out for it later, Lucy. Now really _isn’t_ the best time- not when these pirates are watching us like vultures. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised you didn’t ask me about it back at the desert temple.”

“I’m well aware people are able to build without being _Master_ Builders, Emmet’s proof enough of that. But what you just did here? That’s _beyond_ the ability of any normal builder I’ve ever seen.”

“Lucy. _Later_.”

“I won’t forget,” she promised, before wandering over to see what Business was up to. “The structure’s done, just waiting on you to finish now.”

“I’m just about ready myself. Tell everyone to get clear, we don’t want any accidents.” Lucy nodded and was quick to round everyone up. When she gave him the thumbs up, he started testing the machine. It took him several tries to get any results, but once he got it started, a bright light flashed, nearly blinding everyone.

Bad Cop peered through his fingers, his aviators filtering out a decent amount of the light. Benny glanced over to him, seeing the look of trepidation on his face. “Hey, you sure you’re ready for this?”

Bad Cop steeled himself, looking back at Benny with determination. “I’ve never been more sure in my life.”

“You know, something about this feels really familiar,” Emmet remarked. He frowned as Bad Cop stepped toward the center of the platform, his brain working hard to place where he’d experienced that energy before, but before he could finally figure it out and shout out a warning, Bad Cop had disappeared.

Everyone shouted in alarm (though Unikitty’s was more of a scream) and rushed forward as though they could grab him and bring him back, but then the light shut off once more, and Emmet was yelling at them all to “get back!” “What the heck?!” Lucy demanded as Benny zipped around the platform, fretting.

“I knew I recognized those calibrations!” Business crowed, slamming his fists on the console in vindication.

“ _Answers_ , guys!”

“It’s like the Infinite Abyss of Nothingness,” Emmet explained, not quite sure if he should be worried or excited for his friend. “Bad Cop’s gone to meet The Man Upstairs.”

That got everyone to shut up.

“Right you are,” chimed in a familiar voice, drawing out another round of startled screams and shouts.

“Ghost!” several of the pirates shrieked.

“Vitruvius!” Lucy cheered, rushing forward to greet him. The other Master Builders were quick to follow, though Business remained lurking behind the control panel, shuffling his feet and rather hoping the spirit didn’t notice him there.

“What are you doing _here?!_ ” Unikitty asked, bouncing excitedly.

“And what do ye know about this place?” Metalbeard added.

“And would you take that ridiculous sheet off already,” Lucy sighed, rolling her eyes. Vitruvius complied, grinning as the sheet was removed. “I mean, really, how do you expect anyone to take you _seriously_ with that silly thing on?”

“How did you expect anyone to take you seriously with all those silly names you chose?” he shot back, and she blushed. “I’m dead, Lucy, gotta have at least a little bit of fun with it.” He was smiling, though, which they took as a good sign. “Alright my children, have a seat and I shall tell you a tale. Yes, you too Business, get over here.” The former President scrambled to obey, scurrying over and sitting on the ground, pale and trembling. Emmet patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. “I’m not mad at you, so you can stop cowering. Now.

“Once upon a time, there was a grand city of Master Builders called Atlantis. The Atlanteans were a very special race of people, gifted by The Man Upstairs with remarkable talent. No other realm could boast such creativity and advancements. When others tried to come and claim Atlantean magic and technology for themselves, the Atlanteans were able to work together to defend their city. But their position as the greatest power in the world led to pride, which was their eventual downfall. Peoples’ egos began to clash, and the harmony in which they previously lived was lost. The magic that depended on that harmony died, and without it, Atlantis sank beneath the sea.” He gestured to the device behind him. “This machine was built as a last-ditch effort to save the city, with the intention of meeting The Maker directly and begging for his help. But it wasn’t completed on time, and was nearly destroyed in the flood.”

“How do you know all of this?” Airheart asked. “It doesn’t quite match up with what we translated.”

“Because I was _there_. I am one of the few remaining Sentinels, charged with the safekeeping of my peoples’ history and culture, and with guiding young Master Builders back to the path of harmony. The Master Builders of today are descendants of the few that escaped the Cataclysm. They still have their ancestors’ talent for building, but the magic remained lost- until you, my friends, rediscovered it.”

“What magic?” Emmet asked. “I don’t know any magic…”

“The magic I speak of can’t be harnessed and used, simply generated when Master Builders create _together_. I knew when I first met you, Emmet, that you would be the key to restoring the harmony that Atlantis lost. _You_ taught them how to work as a team.” The construction worker turned deep scarlet at the praise. Lucy giggled and kissed his cheek.

“Aye, and that’s not all he taught us,” Metalbeard added. “I was outraged when I learned he wasn’t a Master Builder yet was chosen to be The Special, but he showed us ye don’t have to be a Master Builder to still have an impact on the world. And ye _already_ knew that, didn’t ye?”

Vitruvius nodded. “Exactly why I had every faith in him.” Emmet continued to squirm.

“Guys, stop…”

“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, miss, you better put it out of your head right now,” Vitruvius suddenly jumped tracks, as calm as ever as he glanced up at Airheart. She froze, hand halfway to her gun, staring at him. “I can tell you right now, you don’t want to get on the bad side of a ghost-wizard. And I would be _especially_ upset if anything happened to these kids.”

“How did you…”

“Because I can see _everything_.”

She glowered, but seeing she had no hope of victory yet, she turned on her heel. The ghost would expend his energy soon enough; there would be time later. “Well, come on then! There’s still an entire city to explore!” Her crew cheered, eager to get away from the spook, and were quick to follow as she headed back to the heart of the city.

Lucy let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Vitruvius. Cary and I both thought she’d try something, but I don’t know how well we would have done if you hadn’t scared them off.”

“It was my pleasure. Now, you all _have_ to tell me what you’ve been up to in recent months!”


	24. Apotheosis

It was a long time before Bad Cop could stop seeing spots, the light of the portal was so blindingly bright. And even then, his vision seemed unusually dim, like spending too much time outside on a bright sunny day then coming back indoors where there were no lights on. His sunglasses weren’t being much help with that matter, either. When his eyes finally adjusted, he could see he _was_ indoors somewhere, but the place was thoroughly unfamiliar. It was enormous, though, everything scaled for a being possibly a thousand times his size. How did he get in the home of giants?

It would be in his best interests to get out of the open, he decided, but his limbs wouldn’t respond to his commands to get up and _move_. He felt completely numb, like a mind set free from its physical confines, almost. It was eerie, and really not doing much to improve Keelan’s state of mind either. **_Easy_** , he thought at his little brother, trying not to let his own panic overwhelm them both. He just had to think. Emmet had mentioned something like this, he remembered, the night they were telling stories. **_Is this where The Man Upstairs lives, then? Are we on the Other Side?_**

 _yeAh_ , Keelan sent back.

Then he found himself being lifted from where he lay, and wanted to shout at the indignity of it **_would you get your paws off me already_** and blinked when he was greeted with the sight of a young, if very large, face. The kid had a mop of curly brown hair and a smile that could rival the sun. It could only be the Finn Emmet had described, that he had seen in his dream. “Hi Bad Cop!” Finn greeted with enthusiasm he usually didn’t receive, looking excited for reasons he couldn’t even begin to guess. If only he could communicate!

Emmet had mentioned the extreme amount of effort it took even just to twitch, but he’d failed to mention the sheer amount of _desperation_ it also took. He found he couldn’t budge an inch, no matter how hard he tried. **_Focus!_ ** He scolded himself.

 _Cary, plEase don’T let tHem eraSe mE_ , Keelan begged.

**_I won’t, buddy. I’ll figure something out._ **

Finn carried him over to where a lady had set up a small table, focused on a box whose contents he couldn’t see. “Are you ready yet Amy??” the boy asked, bouncing eagerly.

“Almost,” the woman answered, smiling at his excitement, and began taking paints and brushes out of her box. Bad Cop could only watch in curiosity and wonder just what it was she meant to do with those art supplies. “Alright, it’s time. Hand him over here, would you?” Finn broke into a wide grin, carefully handing Bad Cop over to her. She didn’t handle him with quite the same care that Finn did, holding him as though he was just a piece of plastic. Which was exactly all he was to her, he realized. If only he could run, or fight! **_Time for what?!_**

Amy plucked off his helmet, and he wanted to shout at her, or bite her. How dare she! She hummed thoughtfully, turning him this way and that to inspect him, and he hated the feeling of being so closely scrutinized. This was a bad idea this was a terrible idea this was the WORST idea what had he been _thinking_ to step into that light with no preparation or warning?! He was now at the mercy of these giants with no idea of their intentions, even with the sense that Finn at least meant them no harm. She turned her attention back to Finn. “The face you drew back on is actually off-center just enough that we can leave Scribble Cop intact,” she told him, and Bad Cop felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off his heart. Keelan was nearly sobbing in relief, and he sent the best mental version of a hug he could manage.

The lady picked up a sheet of paper towel and carefully wrapped it around his shoulders, like he was at the barber’s about to get a haircut, then selected a brush, dipping it into a tiny dot of white paint. If he’d had any mobility, Bad Cop would have shivered at the tickle of the brush’s bristles when they touched the back of his head, and wiped at the wet sensation of the paint touching skin that shouldn’t have been bare. _What happened to his hair??_

And then it registered what she was doing.

He blinked behind his sunglasses, his shock going unnoticed. There was something expanding in the back of his mind, an awareness he hadn’t felt in months. _They were giving Good Cop back his face._ How he wished he could cry right then, touched at their kindness. There was a gust of warm air as Amy blew on the paint to make it dry faster, and then he could hear a paint can being shaken. **_What?_** Then came a cold, wet blast as she sprayed on a layer of clear coat to keep the paint from scratching off again. Making it _permanent_.

“There we go,” Amy said, removing the paper towel and handing Bad Cop back to Finn. “He’s good as new now.” Finn grinned giddily, admiring her handiwork.

“He’s perfect!”

Were they not trapped in a plastic shell, Bad Cop knew their heart would be absolutely _pounding_. He could feel Good Cop again, groggy like he was just waking up. It would be a couple minutes yet before he was anything approaching responsive, he knew.

Finn set them back on the makeshift platform that mimicked the one he’d been standing on in his own world. “Alright you guys, time to go back!” He picked up what looked like a video game controller, and Bad Cop wished he could laugh, then. That was… oddly adorable, really. Maybe they were just pawns in a child’s game, but he seemed to be having so much fun. Amy glanced over to smile at him, then began packing up her supplies once more.

Suddenly filled with determination, Bad Cop tried once more to move, and finally succeeded. Thanking the boy with words was an impossibility, he realized, but there was something else he could do to show his gratitude.

Finn’s eyes went wide as the Lego figure leaned back to look up at him, then raised an arm in what could only be a salute. “Whoa,” he breathed, and waved back. He glanced over to see if Amy had noticed, but she was otherwise occupied. Shrugging, he turned back to Bad Cop with a grin, and pressed a button on the controller to ‘send them back’.

The world went white once more.

~* *~

Bad Cop took the opportunity to delve into their shared mindspace during the trip back, taking advantage of the strange properties of the portal that allowed it. It had taken several minutes to get to the Other Side, and he figured they had at least that long before arriving back on the platform. Good Cop was there, disoriented but awake and _present_. He had barely steadied himself before launching himself at his twin. Bad Cop caught him and held him close as Good Cop sobbed his joy, throwing their mental link wide open. He couldn’t help but shed a few tears himself as memories of the past several months passed between them quick as thought, catching each other up faster than words could ever manage.

“Alastar, I’m so sorry,” Cary murmured. “I was only trying to protect you…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” his twin assured, moving to press their foreheads together. “There was nothing you could have done to stop him, he _wanted_ to get rid of me… I tried to hold on, I didn’t want to leave you…!”

“I know.”

“Sure seems you’ve been up to a _lot_ in the meantime, though.” Alastar jolted. “Do we really have a triplet?”

Cary smiled. “We do. Keelan, come say hello.” The child was quick to approach this time, far less shy than their first meeting. Cary noted he’d aged a couple years since, likely a result of being put back in a grown-up body and sharing mindspace with an adult. “Alastar, this is Keelan.”

Alastar kneeled down to hug him. “It’s nice to meet you! Thank you for helping Cary.”

“I dIdn’t do muCh…” Keelan said, snuggling into the hug.

“You did enough,” Alastar assured, ruffling his hair. “You put up with _his_ grumpy butt, and that’s more than anyone can ask.” Keelan giggled.

“Hey…”

“Now _you_ …” Alastar got back to his feet, grinning ear to ear. “My dear, sweet, _oblivious_ brother… _Benny??_ ”

“I’m not oblivious,” Cary sulked. “I know he has feelings for me, I’m not blind-”

“Not him,” Alastar interrupted, flicking his nose. “I’m talking about _you_ , you big dummy.”

Cary stared at him, wide-eyed. “…Oh.”

Alastar started laughing. “ _Yeah_ , ‘oh’. Capable of recognizing everyone else’s affections but your own. Goodness, that poor man. You really shouldn’t leave him wondering anymore.”

“yOu like BenNy?” Keelan asked, intrigued.

“Yeah. I guess I do.”

“A _lot_ ,” Alastar clarified, smirking. “ _Cary and Benny sitting in a tree, K-I-_ ”

Cary turned bright red. “Darn it Alastar, _knock it off_ -”

“Ohh no, this is the first time I’ve _ever_ been able to give you crap for this, I am going to _savor_ it. And you’re just going to have to deal.”

Cary huffed annoyance at him, then thumped his head against his shoulder. “…I missed you. Brat.”

Alastar gave a pleased hum, wrapping his arms around him. “I missed you too, grouch.” Keelan grinned and wormed his way between them, eager to get in on the hugging. They found themselves dumped back into reality shortly after.


	25. Fix The Boat Or Swim

“…p? C….ar me…? ….ry??”

Bad Cop slowly opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by his friends, each of them with a concerned look on his or her face. He shoved himself upright from where he’d apparently collapsed. “I’m okay,” he muttered in response. “‘s just… disorienting.”

“Did it work?” Benny asked, adopting a hopeful look. Bad Cop Pushed himself to his feet, looking the spaceman dead in the eye before grabbing his face and kissing him soundly. Unikitty whooped loudly, causing the others to laugh. Vitruvius smiled to himself, satisfied all was well, and quietly vanished while they weren’t paying attention.

Bad Cop released Benny after a moment, his chest starting to feel tight when the astronaut didn’t respond. Benny simply stared at him in stunned silence. “I’m- I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I shouldn’t have- I must have misunderstood-”

Benny finally shook himself out of his daze and grabbed Bad Cop’s shirt collar, pulling him close for another kiss. “Nah, you understood perfectly,” Benny assured with a grin when he released him again. Bad Cop hugged him close, unable to stop the smile spreading across his own face. “I’m going to take it that’s a yes, then?”

To confirm, Good Cop switched out, giving Benny a warm smile. “That’s a yes,” he said, and pressed a kiss to the spaceman’s forehead. “Thanks for looking after the silly goose while I couldn’t.”

“Well hey, what are friends for?”

Good Cop then turned his attention to his former employer, and frowned. He stepped around Benny and marched toward Business, who began scrambling back in a panic. The others looked on, confused as to why, until Good Cop hauled back and punched him right in the nose, startling them. “That’s for everything you put Bad Cop through!” he barked, adopting a scowl that looked so out of place on him.

“ _Good Cop?!_ ”

“What the heck??”

“Wow, I didn’t know he could get angry!”

Once she recovered from _Good Cop_ being the violent one for once, Lucy stepped between the two men to check Business’ nose. He hissed and whined at her touch, but kept still. Blood was gushing pretty steadily from it, and he fished a handkerchief from his pocket to staunch the flow, but- “Not broken,” she announced, and turned to give Good Cop a Look. “And don’t you even _think_ about ‘fixing’ that,” she warned. “I _will_ kick your butt, freshly back from the dead or not.” She turned back to Sirius. “He’s quite a spitfire.”

“You have no idea,” Business mumbled from behind his hanky.

“You owe us an explanation,” Good Cop growled, still angry. “On top of an apology. Why is it that no matter how hard we pushed ourselves, it was never enough? What was it that changed three years ago to make you crack down on us so hard?”

Business frowned back, trying not to cower under that glare. It was even more terrifying coming from Good Cop, since he so rarely got truly upset. “Because I found out _you_ were a Master Builder,” he admitted. Good Cop could feel his twin stirring curiously in the back of his mind.

**_Well, that explains why he didn’t seem shocked about me helping with the portal._ **

“You two kept that secret from me for _years_ ,” Business continued, completely unaware of their internal conversation. “How was I supposed to think anything other than that you were working undercover for them as a spy? You even had that self-enforced rule of ‘capture not kill’, so how could I trust you when you couldn’t trust _me_?”

Good Cop rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to either facepalm or smack Business upside the head. “You wanted us to be up front with you about being a Master Builder when _you hired us to hunt them down?_ You realize how ridiculous that sounds, yes?” Business had the decency to look ashamed at that. “By the time we thought you might be okay with it, you were acting weird, punishing us for failures beyond our control. You stopped seeing us as _people_ , and started acting like we were just another one of your mindless robots to be ordered about. We didn’t know you’d found out, so what were we supposed to think? As far as we knew you’d just… snapped. Cary and I both thought of quitting so many times, when you started getting worse about it, we started wondering what it really was we were fighting for. But we couldn’t just leave you _alone_ , not when all you had left were the robots. Even for all the hurt you put us through, we still worried about our friend.” He paused, hands clenching into fists once again, and Business flinched away at the fury practically roiling off him. “Until you erased me, forced Cary to Kragle our parents, then left him to deal with the fallout _completely alone_. The only reason he still followed your orders was because he _didn’t know what else to do_ , he hardly knew up from down!”

Business sighed, finally dropping his hand from his nose and forced himself to meet Good Cop’s gaze. “Yes, I know,” he said quietly. “And I owe you both the biggest apologies ever. Personal reasons for my behavior aside, what I did to you guys was _not okay_.” He wiped at the small trickle of blood that was still dripping. “But I knew simply saying sorry wasn’t going to be enough, so when Metalbeard came back with a chance at restoring you, I jumped on it. And I know Bad Cop wasn’t thrilled to have me along, but it was the only way I could think of how to _prove_ it to you both just how sorry I really am.”

Good Cop’s gaze softened at that. Business stiffened when long arms wrapped around him, but there was no pain, and he realized that Good Cop was _hugging_ him. He relaxed and leaned into the hold; as much as he kept people at arm’s length, he’d forgotten how nice actual human contact felt sometimes. “ _That’s_ for everything you’ve done to help,” Good Cop said. “Cary’s already long since forgiven you, but now you can consider yourself officially off the hook.”

“Oh thank God,” Sirius breathed, dropping his head against Good Cop’s shoulder, his tension bleeding away so quickly it left him shaking a little. Good Cop chuckled and held him until he was certain his legs weren’t about to give out and dump him on the ground.

“So what do we do now?” Emmet asked. “Those sky pirates are still out there plotting against us, and we don’t have a ship to get away on.”

Benny grinned, bouncing on his toes. “B and I have the perfect plan for that.”

Metalbeard narrowed his eye at his best friend. “I thought ye be up to somethin’.”

Benny snickered. “Yup. But we’re going to need you guys to keep your eyes open for them, and keep them distracted if you see them start to head back.”

“We don’t get to know what the plan is?” Unikitty pouted.

Emmet’s eyes went wide. “Oh! Is that the surprise you were talking about?”

“Yep!”

“Ohh, surprise! I _love_ surprises!”

“And you’re _really_ gonna love this one,” Benny promised. He looked at Good Cop. “Can I have B back now?”

“Certainly,” Good Cop agreed, switching out. Bad Cop smirked at him. “Ready to get started?”

“Oh stars YES. Let’s go!” Bad Cop laughed as Benny grabbed his hand, dragging him along.

Sirius glanced over at the remaining Master Builders. “Well. Airheart was right about one thing, there _is_ an entire city to explore still. Care to join me?”

~* *~

Bad Cop smiled to himself as they wandered through the city looking for parts. Benny’s hand found its way into his at every available opportunity, unwilling to be separated for too long. The spaceman was overflowing with frenetic enthusiasm, and he wasn’t sure it was entirely due to their project. He was feeling like he could float, himself. “Ready to start part two?” he asked when they’d collected a sizeable pile of parts.

Benny’s grin turned wicked. “Ohh _yes_. Let’s.” He zipped toward where the Sky Rogue was moored, Bad Cop running along behind him to keep up. The spaceman took great pleasure in gutting the airship, stripping it of its engine in its entirety. Bad Cop remained outside, catching parts as Benny tossed them over and keeping a wary eye out. Though Alastar now had several new tricks up his sleeve, Cary still didn’t feel comfortable without his gun.

Bad Cop wandered on board once Benny had finished, looking for supplies next. They paused in the stairway as they entered the cargo hold. “Dude, _what_.” Benny was indignant and furious. “That’s like, half of Metalbeard’s stuff, right there! When were they planning on letting _us_ know?!”

“I don’t think they were, Ben,” Bad Cop sighed. “Pirates, remember?”

“Metalbeard’s not like this…” Benny sulked.

“Metalbeard’s _different_. Come on, let’s take his stuff back, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see it.” They went through the hold, grabbing everything the sky pirates had stolen from the cyborg captain, and a few extra supplies besides.

Benny squealed excitedly as they set everything by their pile of parts. “Come on B, let’s get building!”

“Hold up just a moment, Benny,” Good Cop answered, and Benny tilted his head curiously at him. “We should leave a thank you note, don’t you think? It’s only polite, after all.” Benny grinned and followed him back on board, curious as to what exactly they were planning on writing. They strode into the navigation room with purpose, and the spaceman laughed at what Bad Cop scrawled out on a loose sheet of paper.

“Oh she’s gonna be _so mad_ when she sees that.”

“That’s the point,” Bad Cop told him, smirking. He took it down to the empty engine room. “Come on, _now_ we can get started.” Benny sprinted back outside and leapt over the railing, landing lightly on his feet before launching straight into work.

“SPACESHIP!!” the astronaut screeched, practically a blur as he fused parts together. Bad Cop smirked as he helped where he could, working on the inside as Benny got the shell put together. It would be his biggest yet, a fact Benny was immensely proud of. The cop snickered as Benny sang happily and off-key to himself.

“Excited much?” he teased when Benny finally joined him.

“Metalbeard’s mind is going to be absolutely _blown_ when he sees this,” Benny said giddily. “How much longer til it’s done? Anything I can help with?”

“This is the most complicated mechanism I’ve ever made, Ben. I want to make sure it’s absolutely right.”

“Just show me what to do, B. I’ll help make sure it’s _perfect_.”

Bad Cop smirked at him. “You just wanna know my secret.”

“I dooo,” Benny whined. “You’re the only one who’s ever figured out how to build something that _transforms_ , B, of course I wanna know the secret!” He leaned in close, waggling his eyebrows. “I wanna know _all_ yours secrets.”

Bad Cop let out a startled laugh at that. “Knock that off, you lunatic.” He gave Benny a gentle nudge, and the spaceman snickered as he floated back a few inches. “Patience is a virtue.”

“Not when you’re dangling such a _tempting_ carrot in my face.”

“Oh, fine,” Bad Cop mock-huffed at him, and Benny grinned. “Get over here so I can show you how it’s done.” The spaceman bounced giddily and drifted back over, trying not to press in too close as Bad Cop worked and listening very carefully as he explained how the mechanism functioned.

“Geez, B, how did you guys even figure that out?”

“A lot of experimentation and trial and error. It was honestly kind of by accident, at first.”

“Accident??” Benny laughed. “What were you _trying_ to make, if that was by accident?”

“I don’t think we were really ‘trying’ to make anything, we were just kind of messing around.” Benny continued to giggle. “What?”

“I can’t get the image of you as a mad scientist out of my head, now.” Bad Cop rolled his eyes. “Hey.” He looked back over, startled at how close Benny suddenly was. The astronaut grinned and pecked his lips. “Hi.”

“…Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be doing that a lot?”

“Cause I rather like the smile it puts on your face when I do it, and I want to see more of it.”

Bad Cop looked away again, rubbing the back of his neck, but his smile didn’t fade. “Let’s just… get this thing finished, okay?”

Benny giggled. “Sorry. Too much too soon?”

“…A little.”

“Alright, I’ll _try_ to tone it down. I’m just so _excited_ , this is like the _best day ever_ , I get to _build a spaceship_ with my _boyfriend_ \- can I call you my boyfriend now?” Bad Cop nodded, amused. “And I _get to call you my boyfriend now!_ And we’re sticking it to those jerkface sky pirates and doing an awesome thing for Metalbeard and we got Good Cop back and _ohmygosh I have a boyfriend now_ and we’re _building a spaceship_ and-”

“Geez, Ben, _breathe_ ,” Bad Cop laughed. “I think I got it.” Benny smiled sheepishly, then grinned again and launched himself at Bad Cop, hugging him tightly.

“Seriously. _Best_. _Day_. _Ever_. Oh! I just got an idea!” He pecked Bad Cop on the lips again and zipped back outside. “I gotta go do a thing real quick! Don’t send the signal til I get back!”

Good Cop switched out, watching with no small amount of amusement as Benny practically flew back to the Sky Rogue. “I think I see why you like him so much. He’s adorable when he’s excited.”

**_Get your own crazy spaceman, that one’s taken._ **

Good Cop laughed.


	26. Devil In Disguise

“So did anybody actually _see_ when Vitruvius decided to disappear on us?”

Lucy glanced back at the pop and hiss of a flare being fired, tilting her head as she puzzled out its existence. “Oh,” she said upon realization. The others had paused to stare as well.

“Ye think that be the signal?”

Lucy nodded. “We better hurry, that’ll have gotten _their_ attention as well.”

“Aye. Climb on, and hold tight!” Once he was certain his three human friends had a good grip on his frame, Metalbeard sprinted through the city, Unikitty galloping along at his side. It wasn’t long before they heard angry voices- it sounded like Airheart had guessed what they were up to. Lucy carefully climbed across Metalbeard’s shoulders, pulling out Bad Cop’s gun and taking aim.

Airheart shrieked a furious curse as she fell, stunned, but Flea was quick to catch her and haul her onto his back, barely breaking pace in their race to reach the ship. “Whoa, look at _that!_ ” Emmet gasped, pointing ahead. Lucy turned to see a strange cross between a spaceship and a sea ship hovering above the water, easily three times the size of Benny’s battleship. It was a beautiful thing of wood and brass, with sturdy wood and canvas wings sprouting from its sides, and a glass and metal cockpit set slightly further back from the middle of the ship. The ramp was lowered to allow them entry, and Benny was sitting in the cockpit with the canopy open, wearing Bad Cop’s sunglasses and a huge grin.

“Get in losers, we’re going home!”

Bad Cop looked over at him from the copilot’s seat. “Alright you said it, can I have them back now?”

“Where the heck did Benny learn memes from??” Business gaped. “I didn’t know he’d even figured out the internet yet!”

“Uh, that’s kinda my fault,” Emmet admitted.

A shot pinged off the side of the ship, causing them to flinch. Lucy turned back to return fire, stunning a few of the sky pirates before Metalbeard ran up the ramp to safety. Unikitty pushed the button to close it.

“Buckle up guys, this is gonna be a bumpy ride!” Benny called back. As the others obligingly strapped in, Metalbeard made his way up to the cockpit.

“What makes ye so sure we’ll be able to get away this time?”

Benny and Bad Cop looked at each other, then back at the pirate captain, Benny with a grin. “Pirate’s Cove,” they said in unison.

~* *~

Airheart was fuming as Flea sprinted up the gangplank. “Don’t you _dare_ let them get back first!” she barked. “I should have known they’d be up to _something_ -”

“On it, Cap’,” Flea said, setting her down by the helm. He flipped the switch to start the engine…

…only for nothing to happen.

“ _What_.”

“Captain!” Roberts yelled as he raced back up from below deck, clutching a piece of paper in hand. “The engines are gone!” Flea let out a groan and facepalmed as Airheart seethed at the news. “We found this,” he panted as he reached them, handing over the paper. She snatched it from him, feeling starting to return to her limbs, and glared down at it.

_Decided to go for that career change after all. Thanks for the suggestion. -BC_

“ _I’m going to murder that good-for-nothing cop!!_ ” Airheart screamed in rage, crumpling the paper and chucking it at Roberts. He blinked as it bounced off his head. “Flea!! Shoot them right out of the sky, I want to see that thing in pieces!”

“You got it, Captain,” Flea said. “You heard her! To the guns!” The crew hurried to the deck, grabbing the massive mounted machine guns and taking aim. “Fire at will!” Sounds of confusion went up almost in unison as each and every gun locked up, and Flea nearly splintered the railing as he gripped it tight. They pulled the guns back in to inspect them, finding each had a flag that read ‘bang!’ sticking out of the barrel. They had no sooner discovered this prank than a chain reaction seemed to set off, yelps and shouts coming from the crewmen still below deck, accompanied by a lot of popping sounds.

The robot hurried below deck to see what was happening, only to find the remainder of the crew flailing about covered in paint of various, garishly bright colors, popcorn, and metal shavings that had a remarkably glittery effect. Topping it off was the firecrackers and sparklers that had started the panic in the first place. Flea took one look at the scene, and couldn’t help himself.

He started laughing.

“Sir?!” Stevenson yelped, trying to flick away fluffy white stuck everywhere he was covered in paint (and there was, unfortunately, quite a bit of it in his hair). Flea only continued to giggle helplessly. The clever prankster must have mixed in glue with the paint to make it all stick so well. “What are our orders, sir? Do we pursue?”

“No,” he finally answered once his giggles were under control again. “No, they’re long gone by now. Cap’s just gonna have to live with the fact that she lost.” The crew glanced around at each other, looking incredibly disappointed at the news. “Hey, there’s still plenty of artifacts to collect here. Even if we don’t get the recognition for _discovering_ Atlantis, we can at least provide the largest source of relics for the museums.” He smirked. “They’ll have to put our names on all the displays.” The idea seemed to lift their spirits, and inwardly he sighed in relief. All he had left to do now was pitch it to Airheart and hope it soothed her temper.

~* *~

Benny hummed happily to himself as he flew the ship away from the city. They couldn’t see the chaos he’d left behind, sadly, but at least Metalbeard’s story had given the others enough of an idea of what the sky pirates had in store.

“Kind of surprised they aren’t firing on us,” Bad Cop commented.

“Oh, I took care of that. Those guns won’t be working again any time soon.”

The cop chuckled at that. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“Well I can’t take _all_ the credit,” Benny snickered. “I mean, it _was_ your idea to take their engines.”

Bad Cop shrugged. “Figured it would save us time to grab some already put together. Not to mention, prevent pursuit.”

“Yeah.” Benny finally, wordlessly, handed Bad Cop back his aviators. “Think we ditched them for good this time?”

“I sure hope so,” he responded, putting his sunglasses back on. They fell into companionable silence, staring out at the horizon. Benny reached over, twining their fingers together. Bad Cop gave his hand a squeeze.

It was only when Octan Tower came into sight that Benny slowed down, gently setting the craft down in the water. “Let’s go give Metalbeard the surprise of his life,” he said, grinning. “Hey guys, get up here!”

“Why did we stop?” Emmet asked as they walked up to the cockpit, surprised by its considerable size.

“We’re about to show you!” Benny said, bouncing excitedly. “Metalbeard, do us a favor and go pull that lever over there?” He gestured next to the wheel. The captain eyed him warily, but got up and strode across the room to do just that.

“No funny business?” he asked, hand resting on the lever.

“No funny business, I promise.” Metalbeard yanked it down, blinking at the sudden groan of heavy machinery starting up. The craft began to vibrate, and they watched in awe through the glass canopy as parts began to move, the entire ship reshaping itself.

“Benny, what- what did ye do?!” Metalbeard gaped, watching what was formerly the wings rise up through the deck to become masts, unfurling their sails.

“Built you a new ship,” the spaceman said softly. “You lost the most in this venture, so… she’s yours, if you want her. She can transform back into spaceship mode, if you ever need to make a quick getaway, and we added a lot of voice command with the automation you had on the Sea Cow. I know, I know,” Benny grinned at the look the sea captain gave him, “I didn’t do so hot with the _last_ talking computer I dealt with. But B helped me get it set up.”

Metalbeard was silent as he stumped his way out of the bridge and onto the deck, taking his time looking the entire ship over. “You guys really went all out on this,” Sirius remarked, watching as Emmet and Unikitty ran about the ship, gasping at all the details.

“This is so cool!” Unikitty squealed. “Best surprise _ever!_ ”

Metalbeard came to a pause in the cargo hold, staring at the few belongings Benny and Bad Cop had managed to salvage. “What be her name?” he asked quietly as Benny drifted up to perch on his shoulder.

“We’ve been calling her Siren’s Song. It was Good Cop’s idea, actually. Said it went perfectly with the voice he chose for the computer, or something.”

“It actually be a talkin’ computer?”

“Oh yeah. So you can have someone to talk to when you’re out here all alone, if you want. She’ll only be able to talk to you when you’re on the bridge, but she’ll hear you from anywhere on the ship. Would you like to meet her?”

“Aye, lad. I think I would.”

~* *~

Sirius remained on the deck, staring at his office tower. Through it, more like, Good Cop realized as he came to his former employer’s side. He seemed deep in thought. “Did you want us to just drop you off here?” he offered.

“Huh? Oh.” He shook himself out of his daydream. “Nah, I’d kinda like to see how she sails first.” He grinned and patted the railing.

Good Cop offered a knowing smile in return. “If you say so, Sir.”

“…Why do you two keep calling me ‘sir’? I’m pretty sure your contract was terminated when I- uh… terminated _you_ … And I thought Bad Cop quit? He stopped reporting to me, anyway.”

“Well it’s the first three letters of your first name, isn’t it?” Good Cop asked with all the wide-eyed innocence he could muster. Sirius gaped at him.

“You- have you guys really been calling me by my first name this _entire time?!_ ” Good Cop started laughing, and he pouted. “So much for the respect I thought I’d finally drilled into you…” Good Cop only giggled harder in response. “There’s one thing I still don’t get though…”

“What’s that?” the cop asked, once he’d calmed enough to do so.

“I was… really abusive toward the two of you, at the end there. And I forced Bad Cop to Kragle your parents, and I _killed you_. I was fully prepared to deal with the fallout that I _know_ I deserve. So why are you being so _nice_ to me?”

“Honestly? Because I think you need it.” When Sirius gave him a dubious look, he decided to elaborate. “ _They_ didn’t have to choose to show Cary kindness,” he said, gesturing to the Master Builders, “and yet they did. And only good things have come from it. So. We choose the same. The world’s had enough of fear and hatred, I think, and we’re not going to add to it anymore. It doesn’t do anyone any good.” He looked down to the water. “Plus… We missed our friend. It’s nice, seeing the old you again, after having to deal with the ‘Lord Business’ persona for so long.”

Sirius was silent for a long moment, at that. “I missed you guys too,” he admitted quietly.


	27. A Kiss To Build A Dream On

As it turned out, no one else particularly wanted to break up their group just yet either, so Metalbeard dropped anchor for them to stay the night. Though the phonograph was one of the salvaged items, and Sirius obligingly played some music for them, their celebration was a rather subdued affair. It hung over them like a heavy cloud, the thought that they would all have to split up and return to their humdrum lives the next day. Bricksburg was less than a day’s sailing away.

Emmet stood at the railing, watching the sun as it slowly sank beneath the water, painting the sky vibrant orange and deep blue. Lucy stepped up beside him, laying one of her hands over his wordlessly. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Emmet said. “You don’t see sunsets like this in the city, all the buildings get in the way. But out here, you get such a perfect view.”

Lucy smiled and squeezed his hand. “It’s lovely,” she agreed. “Hey, Emmet…”

“Hm?” he asked, not looking away from the horizon.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, for a while now…” He finally turned to look at her, gaze questioning. “Do you ever regret being dragged into our fight? I mean, you nearly died like three times, and got hurt so many others… Not to mention, we probably didn’t make a great first impression…”

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Emmet teased. “But… no. I don’t regret it. How could I? I made some of the best friends I’ve _ever_ had, met the most amazing woman…” Lucy blushed. “And I learned some very valuable lessons, about myself, and the world. All the scary, painful things I went through in those three days? Totally worth the family I finally found in you all.”

Lucy smiled at him, wiping her eyes. “I really don’t understand how so many people could just overlook you the way they did. They really need to take another look, cause you are such a remarkable person, Emmet. And I’m so glad I met you.” She leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his. Emmet’s face turned bright red, and he kissed her back enthusiastically.

“I love you too,” he told her when they finally pulled apart, and she smiled. A shriek startled the pair, and they turned to see Unikitty with an impossibly wide grin.

“OHMYGOSH YOU GUYS!!” she gushed, bouncing. Lucy’s face turned crimson with embarrassment, and Emmet gave a shy grin, pulling her close. “That was soooo cute!”

“It’s about time,” Benny teased, snickering.

“Oh, leave the kids alone, ye two,” Metalbeard scolded. “They don’t need ye bein’ all up in their business.” Unikitty giggled and bounced away, and Benny gave them a wink before moving back to Bad Cop’s side. Lucy grumbled, burying her face in Emmet’s shoulder.

“Didn’t know we had an audience…”

Emmet smiled and held her close. “They’re just happy for us. They mean well.” Lucy closed her eyes, relaxing in his hold.

After the sun set and the stars came out, they rejoined their friends, sitting on the deck and staring up at the night sky, another sight so rarely seen in Bricksburg. Almost predictably, Metalbeard started in with stories about the constellations and how they were formed. Lucy smiled when Emmet’s head dropped to her shoulder, the construction worker snoring softly, and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as he dozed.

~* *~

Business had a limo waiting for them when they arrived at the docks, ready to drive everyone back to their apartments. They said their goodbyes to Metalbeard and Unikitty before the captain and the princess went their separate ways. Emmet bounced excitedly in his seat, trying very hard not to press face and hands against the windows as he craned his neck to see. “This is my first time riding in a limo,” he enthused, grinning.

Business chuckled. “Well I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

Lucy giggled and took Emmet’s hand as he continued to bounce. “Calm down, you silly thing.”

“You know,” Business said as he watched the young couple, “trying to teach you two to dance has made me realize how much I miss it. Don’t know who I could convince to go with me now, though.”

“Aww Busy,” Benny cooed. “We need to find you a girlfriend!” Bad Cop choked and started coughing, and Business simply raised an eyebrow at the astronaut.

“While I appreciate the thought, no one in their right mind is going to want to date the guy that tried to end the world.”

“Geez, B, breathe,” Benny said as he patted the cop’s back.

The limo slowed to a stop, still a few blocks away from Emmet’s apartment. They glanced out the windows to see the streets crowded with people fighting. “What in the world…?” Emmet was unbuckled and out the door before Lucy could grab him, Bad Cop not far behind. The remaining three glanced at each other.

“Might as well,” Lucy said with a shrug, and unstrapped herself to get out.

Emmet froze as he looked around. There was a number of new buildings that had been constructed in their absence, and partially torn back down, along with a number of other buildings he _did_ recognize. From the architecture, the new ones looked to be of Master Builder make. Emmet winced as he recognized some of the people in the crowd as Master Builders, and they seemed at odds with the citizens of Bricksburg.

Bad Cop sighed, put two fingers to his mouth, and whistled.

 _Loudly_.

The fighting came to an abrupt end as everyone turned to find the source of the noise. Bad Cop loomed behind Emmet, arms folded across his chest as he gave the crowd a very disapproving frown. “Aw, crap,” someone muttered.

“Guys, what the heck happened?!” Emmet asked as he pulled his hands away from his ears.

“Dude, I think that’s the loudest I’ve _ever_ heard you get,” Benny giggled.

“They started it!” someone shouted. Emmet identified her as Janet, one of the employees at the dry cleaners down the street from him. “They came into our city like they own the place and started making ‘improvements’ that no one asked for or even wanted!”

“They were falling apart! We were trying to _help_!”

“They were _under renovation_ and already had a new design planned, now they have to tear it all down and start over again! And as if that wasn’t enough, you can see all these buildings they just crammed in wherever they felt like! If they’re not in the way, they’re creating a hazard!”

“Not to mention the attitudes,” Larry deadpanned. “Acting like you’re such heroes. In case you all forgot, _we_ fought on Taco Tuesday too. We don’t owe you anything, we saved _our own_ lives.”

“You only fought the last battle, we’ve been fighting for the entire war!”

“Oh, for crying out loud…” Emmet groaned.

“I’m with you on that,” Benny agreed, rolling his eyes. “It’s like watching a bunch of little kids arguing over who won the game. We’re all adults here, can we please act like it??”

“What do you mean?”

“I _mean_ , can we talk this out and solve our differences like grown-ups. Which we were expecting you to do while we were gone, but apparently no one here is mature enough to referee themselves. It’s time to drop the egos, guys, if we don’t want to wind up right back where we were. I’ve been saying it for five years- being Master Builders _doesn’t_ make us any better than anyone else. You all treated Emmet like trash, yet guess who was the one to even come _close_ to stopping the Kragle? Did you forget Lucy’s speech already, or did you just not _listen_?”

The Master Builders looked somewhat shamefaced at that, and Lucy rolled her eyes. “Probably _didn’t_ listen. I hate to admit it, but I probably wouldn’t have either, if I hadn’t been a part of the raid myself.”

“And as for everyone else- believe me, I _know_ how hard Master Builders are to deal with. I wasn’t always one myself, and I had such a hard time trying to fit in that I eventually just gave up ever having any real hope of that. But Master Builders are amazingly creative people, and I can tell you from first-hand experience how sometimes the itch to just _make_ something is _impossible_ to ignore. Kinda comes with the territory. So I ask that you please have patience with us. And if we’re going to make things work now, it’s going to take concessions from _both_ sides.”

“Have you been taking speechifying lessons from Emmet?” Sirius teased. Benny feigned wide-eyed surprise.

“There’s _lessons?_ ”

Lucy started giggling. “Dork.”

“Nah, it’s just a matter of having the experience from both sides of the coin. I get _everyone’s_ complaints, I really do. But I also see a lot of it comes just from sheer bull-headedness. If everyone could just set aside their pride and try understanding things from the other person’s point of view, then we’d _really_ make some progress.”

They seemed to be thinking about it, all sense of hostility fading away. “I just wanna know one thing,” Emmet said. “Why didn’t Ellen put a stop to this before it got so bad?”

“Because she decided to go on ‘permanent vacation’ about a week after you left,” Larry explained. “And the Bricksburg police are really only good at directing traffic- seems you guys did your job a little _too_ well,” he directed at Bad Cop, who seemed only mildly surprised that the truth about their job had finally come out. “So we’ve been left largely to our own devices.”

“There’s seriously _nobody_ in charge here?” Sirius gaped.

“Not unless Emmet takes the job.”

“Guys,” Emmet sighed. “Look, I appreciate you think I’m capable, but I _never_ wanted that much power. I just really don’t think it’s for me, I _like_ the job I have now! So, _again_ , that’s a no.”

Larry then turned to Business, giving him a contemplative look. “What about you?” he asked after a long moment. Sirius startled.

“You’re _seriously_ asking me to be President again? You were all trying to get me _out_ of office when we left!”

“Well aside from the whole Kragling thing and making it ridiculously difficult to get _coffee_ , of all things, imported, you actually did a pretty good job. Things never got crazy here. It just… took us a while to remember that.”

“Well then.” Sirius looked up at Bad Cop. “Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

“Certainly seems that way, Sir.”

Emmet had moved over to speak with the Master Builders. “Maybe you guys should return to Cloud Cuckooland again, just until things settle back down. I’m sure Unikitty will be happy to see everyone again, anyway!”

“I think you’re right,” Carrie agreed. “We did kinda muff this up, didn’t we? But you and your friends gave us a lot to think about, so who knows? Maybe next time will go better.”

“I certainly hope so!” Emmet smiled. “And we’ll work on getting everyone else here to relax about having you guys around. We didn’t exactly give them enough time to adjust to the idea of it before we left, we _were_ in a bit of a hurry.”

Carrie smiled back at him. “Well now that you’re back, I’m sure we can make it work. Bye, Emmet!” He waved as they left.

“Where are they going?” Lucy asked, walking up and taking his hand.

“Back to Cloud Cuckooland for a while. Maybe the third time will be the charm?”

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Maybe. You know, it’s not so far. Why don’t we just walk the rest of the way back home? It’ll save Sirius’ driver the trouble of trying to get through the crowd.”

Emmet beamed at her, swinging their arms. “Let’s!”

“Well that’s those two taken care of,” Bad Cop observed, watching the couple walk down the street hand in hand. Sirius allowed himself a shaky sigh once all eyes were off them. “You alright?”

“I think so? I just _really_ wasn’t expecting that. Not for a million years. I can’t believe they actually asked me to _come back_ as President!”

“Will you be staying at Octan Tower?” Benny asked, and he winced.

“To be honest, I _really_ don’t want to. I really don’t like having such an obvious reminder of all the terrible things I did before, and… it’s really lonely. I don’t think I ever realized how much I like having _people_ around. But Octan’s… pretty much bankrupt right now. I checked in with Velma while everyone else was sleeping last night, profits have pretty much flatlined while we’ve been gone. As much as I’d _like_ to move here and be closer to you all, I doubt I can afford it at this point. At least I own the island and the tower, and I had it built to be self-sufficient since there’s obviously no way I was going to run power or water lines that far across the sea.”

“Why don’t you stay with me for a while, then?” Benny offered. “I promise it won’t be any trouble. I have the space, and that way you’ll be close and won’t have to commute so far to get to work.” He grinned. “Mister President.”

Sirius perked up a bit at that, giving him a sheepish smile. “Is it bad that I’m _really happy_ to hear that again?”

“Nah. Come on guys, let’s go home.”


	28. In Which Reunions Are Made

Daniel and Nora Callaghan made their way across the street and to The Coffee Chain. Not their usual hangout, but they weren’t about to turn down the invitation when Cary finally contacted them nearly a full week after he returned to Bricksburg. From the look on his wife’s face, Daniel knew their son was about to get the lecture of a lifetime, for leaving them hanging for so long. He’d been rather vague about it before he’d left, stating only he was “leaving town for a few weeks”, with no explanation as to _why_.

Nora faltered for a moment when she slammed the coffee shop’s door open and spotted Cary sitting toward the back with The Special and his friends, and Business, who, according to the news, was back as President. She’d had a few things to say about that too. She hadn’t been expecting an audience, but she was still more than willing to put her son in his place in front of his friends.

The barista glanced over when the door slammed shut to see Daniel trying to fix the ‘open/closed’ sign. “You can leave that on ‘closed’,” Larry called over. Daniel shot him a surprised look. Glancing around the shop, he realized there were no other customers. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Larry silenced him with a deadpan stare before returning to his dishes.

“Oh. Okay.”

Nora approached their booth, where they’d pulled up another table and two chairs, and was stopped once again when Cary quietly slid over a scone and a cup of coffee. “Orange cranberry, and black with one sugar,” he said softly. “Just how you like it.”

“If you think this is going to stop me from-”

“I don’t, Mum.” Obviously he knew how much trouble he was in; he still wouldn’t meet her gaze. “But I do think you should sit down. You too, Dad.” Lucy set another cup on the table for him.

“What’s going on?” Daniel finally asked as he took a seat, Nora sitting across from him and picking at her scone. “Why is the shop closed?”

“We brought a couple people back that are very eager to see you!” Emmet was barely able to contain his enthusiasm.

“And we thought you might like a more private setting, rather having a bunch of strangers gawking at you,” Lucy finished.

The elder Callaghans looked at the group in confusion. They knew Emmet and Lucy already, and Business, of course, and there could be no mistaking Captain Metalbeard and Princess Unikitty. They weren’t sure about the young man at Cary’s side, but his face looked familiar- oh, that was Benny! It was the first time they’d seen him out of his spacesuit. So who…

An arm wrapped itself around Nora’s shoulders, pulling her in close to be joined by its twin, and a kiss was pressed to her temple. “Hi, Mummy.” Daniel gasped, even as her eyes went wide in recognition of that voice. “Hi, Dad.”

“Alastar!” She hugged him tightly before moving to cup his face in her hands, gazing at his beautiful blue eyes and bright smile that hadn’t changed one bit. “My sweet little boy,” she choked. “We thought you were dead??” He slid out of the booth as Daniel came around the table, giving his father a tight hug as well.

“I was,” he confirmed. “But _everyone_ here worked hard over the past few weeks to bring me back.” At his emphasis on ‘everyone’, her eyes went to Business, who dropped his gaze to the table to avoid her piercing stare. “Yes, Mummy, even him. Actually, _especially_ him. They wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere without his help. And not even just his translations, but his experience dealing with competitive parties… And his willingness to get shot for his friends.”

“You got _shot?_ ”

“It was scary!” Unikitty piped up. “There was a big fight on the beach and the sky pirates were mad at us ‘cause we kept beating them and Busy started shooting them cause we were tired of them being such jerks-”

“I think you should tell us everything from the _beginning_ ,” Daniel interrupted.

So they did. Metalbeard started with the gathering in Pirate’s Cove and his first encounter with the sky pirate Airheart. Lucy continued with the meeting in Octan Tower, and the whole crew’s first run-in with the sky pirates, and Bad Cop’s raid to retrieve the stolen notes. They continued telling the story, each taking a turn to tell a part. Benny finished with the tale of the spaceship and the pranks he left for the sky pirates (which earned a chuckle from Daniel).

Nora frowned thoughtfully as the story was concluded. “I feel like you left out some details,” she said, giving them a sharp stare. “Some things just don’t add up.”

Lucy glanced at Good Cop in askance. He nodded slightly. “So this is the other part of our surprise for you,” she started. “After the desert temple, once things calmed back down again, Cary and Benny came to me to ask for my help with something. Cary’s dizzy spells were coming in greater frequency the longer time went on, and he was really starting to get concerned about it. Well, while he was on watch the night before, somebody finally spoke back to him, and it wasn’t Alastar, so he had me help him find out what was going on.”

From the way Nora stiffened in Alastar’s hold, Lucy figured she could guess where this was going. “And we did come across someone. Cary knew who he was almost immediately.”

“Keelan…” Nora gasped, tears coming to her eyes. “But… how is that possible??”

“Divine intervention,” Benny answered, grinning. “ _Somebody_ Up There likes your boys. That’s why Cary started getting better, in the hospital.”

“And we never realized, never even _thought_ …”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourselves. There’s no way you could have guessed.” He reached over, squeezing Alastar’s shoulder. “Okay kiddo, you can say hi now.”

They watched in stunned silence as the scribbled face they once thought was Alastar came to the front, and he began to fidget nervously- definitely not a mannerism they’d known either of their boys to display. “Hi,” Keelan said softly. Wordlessly, Nora drew him in close, holding him tightly. The youngest triplet began to sniffle into her shoulder, clinging just as tightly as Daniel wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding his family close.

“Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Thanks for reading, everyone!


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